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LECTURES ON ROMANISM, 



BT 



JOSEPH F. BERG, 

PASTOR OF THE FIRST OERMAN REFORMED CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA' 

"VriTH 

AN INTRODUCTION, 



BT 



W. C. BROWNLEE, D. D. 

OF NEW-YORK. 



Philadelphia: 

D. WEIDNER, No. 62 NORTH FOURTH STREET. 

I. Aahmead, Printer. 

1840. 






Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1840, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern Dis- 
trict of Pennsylvania. 



A i^^ 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 
1 

IirrBOBCCTIOK, 

PBEFACB - * ' * ' 

LECTURE I. 

25 
Infallibility 

LECTURE II. 

. - - - 47 

Transubstantiatxon - - - 

LECTURE III. 

73 

Purgatory - " " ' ' 

LECTURE IV. 

^ . ... 115 

Invocation of Saints - - ' 

LECTURE V. 

151 
Veneration of Images and Relics 

LECTURE VI. 

. - - 182 
Auricular Confession - - ■ " 

LECTURE VII. 

207 
Indulgences - - ■ ' 

LECTURE VIII. 

227 
The Reformation - - - 

LECTURE IX. 

248 
Persecuting Spirit of Popery 

LECTURE X. 

. . 1 ... 270 

Christ and AnUchrist contrasted - - 

- - - 295 
Concluding Remarks - - - 



The reader is requested to note the following memoranda: 

On page 33, read Benedict XII. instead oT Bennet. 

On page 87, instead of Acts iii. 18—20, read 1 Pet. iii. 18—20 
This mistake originated in the Grounds of Catholic Doctrine 

Two Roman Catholic priests, named Crotty, instead of one 
have recently renounced Popery; one joined the Presbyterian! 
the other the Methodist church. Let the reader remember this 
when he reads pp. 205 and 206, for in this case, truly, " two are 
better than one !" 



INTRODUCTION. 



Every one who has studied the Holy Scriptures, is fa- 
miliar with the remarkable prediction therein recorded, of 
the rise and reign of a certain mighty power ; the greatest 
and most deadly enemy to the church of God, and the 
liberties of mankind. By Daniel, from the lofty mount of 
inspiration, his approach was first descried. He is intro- 
duced to him, in vision, as '■'■ the little horn;'''' and his rise 
is fixed in general terms as posterior to certain great politi- 
cal events. This " horn," or power, " diverse from the 
first," we cannot discover in any Pagan or Moslem nation. 
Indeed, the attempt to discover it there, instead of a Christian 
country, would be a positive violation of the truth of the 
divine prediction. The " little horn" sprung up after the 
rise of the fourth great beast of Daniel, which is admitted 
by every sound writer, to be the Roman empire. That was 
the power which " letteth, and did let, until it was taken out 
of the way," of the little horn. Hence it sprung up after 
the fall of the Roman pagan empire. For it sprung up 
after the rise of the " ten horns." But there were no ten 
horns, or ten distinct kingdoms in Europe previous to the 
fall of the pagan empire of Rome. Hence this new and 
*' diverse horn," rose in no Pagan or Moslem country. It 
sprung up in Christian Europe. 

Besides, it is described by the spirit of inspiration as an 
apostacy, or "a falling away" from the Christian faith. 
2 Thess. ii. 3. 1 Tim. iv. 1. This can be applied to no 
Pagan or Mohammedan power. These never were in the 
church of God. In no sense, therefore, can they be called 
an apostacy from the Christian faith. Thus we get rid of 
the argument of the Romish doctors who refer this predic- 
tion to the persecuting power of Rome Pagan. There is 
another identifying circumstance. The " little horn" plucked 

a2 



2 INTRODUCnOJ^. 

up three of the other horns by the roots : or, in the words 
of the angel, " he subdued three of the other kings." His- 
tory points out no other power in Europe " diverse from the 
first power" which has done this, than that one which seized 
upon 1st, the consular power of Rome, which was equal to 
a "horn of royalty;" and 2d, plucked up the royal power 
of Lombardy, and took possession of it ; and 3d, attained 
by characteristic enormities, the exarchate, or royal power 
of Ravenna. And that power now wears the triple crown ; 
one for each of these royalties. And that is the head of the 
Roman church, — the Pope of Rome! 

This power is identified also with that which St. Paul calls 
,"The Man of Sin." 2 Thess. ii. 3. In this character 
he fulfils the prophecy of Daniel. "He speaketh great 
words against the Most High; and thinks to change times 
and laws :" and also of St. John, — "a mouth was given to 
him speaking great things and blasphemies." What " apos- 
tate" power has done this? Every papal bull, thundering 
from the Vatican, proclaims his name and characters! 

As THE Man of Sin, he makes merchandise of " the souls 
of men." Rev. xviii. 13. He deals in sin; he traffics in 
sin at the confessional. By his seven sacraments, the Man 
OF Sin barters away his ghostly wares to men for money, 
in granting indulgences, dispensations, and "judicial pardon 
of sins" by his priests, — tenentes locum Christie — holding 
the throne and power of Christ/ There is a book entitled 
♦' Taxe Sacre Penitentiarie ;" a copy of it now lies be* 
fore me. Herein crimes are registered ; and a regulated 
tariff price of each is set down to guide the ghostly tax 
gatherer in his charges for the sins of the soul.* And from 
every circumstance it must be manifest to all, that the reve- 
nues collected by the Man of Sin will thrive and swell to 
excess, just in proportion as vices and crimes increase 
among his subjects. For the greater the sin, the greater 

* See Mendham's Life of Pope Pius Y. p. 267. An original 
copy of the Roman Catholic edition of tlie "Taxe," printed by 
the authority of Pope Leo X. is in possession of Mr. Mendham. 
This book we must carefully distinguish from the Pope's " Chan- 
cery Book.-' Dr. Milner and Dr. England attempted to bewilder 
their opponents by confounding" them; in order to escape from 
the overwhelming- fact of the existence of the Taxe Sacre Peni- 
lentiarie, and its disg-usting contents. 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

the price of absolution ! Could there be a more appropriate 
title for the head of this immoral and lawless power than 
this, given by the Spirit of God, The Man of Sin ? 

There is another prominent feature which will help us to 
identify the Man of Sin with " the Horn" of Daniel. 
He seats himself on his throne "as God, in the temple of 
God, showing himself that he is God." 

This prediction is fulfilled to the letter in that court, and 
in that alone, in which one is seated on his throne as the 
supreme king and head of the church ; and receives the 
spiritual honours of his subjects as they bow down on their 
knees and kiss his feet, while they give him this salutation 
of divine honours, '' Noster Dominus Deus, papa/ The 
Lord our God the Pope T This prediction is fulfilled in 
him alone, whom Mussus, the Bishop of Bitonto called in 
public, " Him who is to us as our God 1" It is fulfilled to 
the letter in Pope Innocent III., who openly declared to the 
world, that » the Pope holds the place of God." " Papa lo- 
cum tenet Dei in terris." See Pithon, Corpus Juris, Paris 
edit, of 1687, p. 29, and Cibert. Corpus, Tom. ii. p. 9. It is 
fulfilled in Pope Julius II. who, in the fourth session of the 
Council of the Lateran in 1512, received this homage from 
C. Marcellus, assented to by the other fathers, "Tuenim 
pastor, &c. Thou art the shepherd, thou the physician ; 
thou the ruler ; in fine, thou art another God in the earth ; 
tu denique alter Deus in terris.'" See Labbei, et Cossartii, 
Sacra Concilia, Tom XIV. p. 109, Paris edit. 1672. It is 
fulfilled in the Roman head, who, arrogating to himself the 
power of" changing laws and times," has added twelve new 
articles to the creed of the apostles ;* and five new sacra- 
ments to the two ordained by Christ ; and has " changed 
the law" of God by virtually'abolishing the second precept, 
and excluding it from his Latin Catechisms, and by rejecting 
the essential doctrines of the gospel. One of his breviaries, 
lying before me, sanctioned by two Popes, has excluded the 
second commandment entirely. It is accomplished in that 
great apostacy, which decreed in the Council of Trent, 
(session 14, canon 9,) that " if any one shall say that the 
sacramental absolutions of the priest is not a judicial acty 

* See Pope Pius's Creed; and Cramp's Text Book of Popery, 
pp. 450, 451. 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

but merely a naked ministry of pronouncing and declaring 
that sins are remitted to the person confessing, provided only 
that he believes, &c. let him be cursed ! !" This is fully 
accomplished in that apostacy from the faith, taught by St. 
Paul, which " gives heed to the doctrines of devils," by ex- 
alting demons, or departed souls, or saints to the rank of 
gods, and causing his subjects to worship them under the 
pain of death ; and which " forbids marriage" to his priests 
and bishops ; and as a god over the bodies of men, forbids 
the use of meats on certain days ! See 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3. 

We identify with this power also the second beast seen 
in vision by St. John, in Rev. xiii. 11 — 18. It rose in 
the same place, and in the stead of the first beast of St. 
John, (chap. xiii. I,) which was Rome pagan. "It had 
power to give life to the image of the first beast." The pa- 
pal power has actually put forth this power, and has given 
life to paganism by raising it up and placing it in its temple 
as Ch?'istianityf For the entire systenn of popery is tagan- 
ISM baptized and perpetuated. From the pagan emperor 
has the Pope borrowed his title of " Pontifex Maximus, chief 
priest." The pots of holy water, the altars, the priestly 
offices, an,d their motly dresses; the pots of incense, and the 
office of boys in the surplice; wax candles lighted up at 
noon-day ; the round cakes or wafers of the mass ; images ; 
canonized saints; are all of them borrowed exclusively from 
the temples and worship of the Roman heathen ! " All the 
world was to wonder after the beast" thus revived. The 
Pop'^'s claims to catholicity and universal power over all 
churcues and kingdoms, fulfils this to the letter. He was 
" to cause all men to receive a mark in their foreheads and 
in their hands." The Pope's priests put a literal mark on 
the forehead and hands of his slaves with holy water and 
ashes. It was foretold of him that he would permit none of 
his subjects to buy, or sell, or traffic in any way with those 
who had not this mark. This mode of nersecution the cfreat 
Apostacy borrowed from the heathens. Pope Alexander III. 
forbade all traffic with the Waldenses. The Council of 
Constance abrogated all contracts made with " heretics ;" 
and forbade all conimerce between Papists and Christians. 
The number of the name of this beast was to be 666 ; that 
is, a name set down in letters of the alphabet instead of 
Arabic figures, which should contain the number 666, would 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

show who that beast should be. Take we the letters of the 
Greek word Lateinos, arrange them in a column, place 
opposite them the number of each from a Greek Grammar, 
they make exactly 666 ! and Lateinos is the Greek word 
for Latin church ; or the Latin man ! In like manner, 
RoMiiTH contains that number exactly ; and that is the He- 
brew name for Roman church ! 

" The woman seated on the scarlet-coloured beast," seen 
by the holy apostle, in Rev. xvii. is also identified with this 
power. She occupies the same seven hills. She is borne 
along by "the beast" whom she rules and directs; and 
which, clothed in the appropriate robe of vengeance — scar- 
let, she employs in shedding the blood of the saints. " In 
Roman Catholic Europe," says Dr. Jortin, " the Pope was 
judge, and kings were his hangmen !" Each of the " ten" 
kingdoms of Europe has given its power to the woman on 
the seven hills. The papal power has declared all civil 
power and governments inferior to his spiritual power. 
Taberna. vol. ii. p. 288, teaches that " a priest cannot be 
forced to give testimony before a secular judge." Emanuel 
Sa, in his Aphor. p. 41, taught that " the rebellion of priests 
is not treason, for they are not subject to the civil govern- 
ments.^^ And this is literally carried out in all the countries 
of Europe and South America which are subjugated by 
popery. Bellarmine, who may be styled the prince of Ro- 
mish writers, declares in his Controv. lib. v. cap. 6, p. 1090, 
that " the spiritual power must rule the temporal by ^\[ 
means and expedients when necessary." But by fa^ ihe 
most sublime claim is put forth by Stanislaus Ozichorius, in 
his book, the Chimcej'a, folio 99. It is this : " A common 
priest is as much better than a king, as a man is superior to 
a beast : nay, as much as God Almighty excels a priest, so 
much does a priest excel a supreme magistrate." See De- 
moulin's Papal Usurpations, p. 19 ; Morn. Exer. on Popery, 
p. 67. St. Thomas Aquinas declares, in his OpuGC. Contra 
Grcecos, that " it is essential to a man's salvation to be sub- 
ject to the Pope's power." And the same saint gives utter- 
ance to the true doctrines of Rome in his book l)e Regim. 
Princip. Lib. iii. cap. 10 and 19, thus: "The Pope, as su- 
preme king of all the world, may impose taxes on all Chris- 
tians ; and destroy towns and castles for the preservation of 
Christianity ;" he means to say Romanism. See Barrow 
oa the Pope's Supremacy, N. York edition, pp. 16, 20. 



g INTRODUCTION. 

This " woman" of the Apocalypse was seen in vision, as 
"clothed in purple, and scarlet colour, and decked with gold 
and precious stones," &c. Whoever has seen the Pope's 
court, or an inquisitorial, or festival procession, or an assem- 
bly of the bishops, vicars, and priests, even among ourselves, 
in their theatrical dresses, can perceive at a glance, who are 
figuratively intended by this " woman." She is, moreover, 
" the mother of harlots," and every nameless "abomination." 
Rev. xvii. 5. Be this taken in a spiritual or a literal sense, 
all nations unite in pointing to Rome as the power dis- 
tinctly marked out here by the finger of prophecy. In 
spiritual idolatry, and in literal idolatry, and in the leprosy 
of pollution, the Roman priesthood and laymen, friars, 
monks, and nuns, stand forth pre-eminent among the guilti- 
est nations under heaven I Rome stands forth without even 
the aid of a mask, as " the Mother of Harlots !" The mouth 
of the Lord had declared it ; and impartial history demon- 
strates the truth of the vision of John ! 

And to close the appalling prediction, the apostle saw the 
woman drunk with the blood of the saints ; and wiih the 
blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Rev. xvii. 6. The history 
of the Roman court and church is written in letters of fire 
and blood ! For several centuries, she has originated the 
most of the wars in Europe. The number of the victims 
of her assassination, of her massacres, and the " infernal 
inquisition," have never been fully ascertained. Pains have 
indeed been taken by historians to discover the true amount. 
But the deaths of myriads have never reached the ear of the 
historian. Our calculation does, therefore, rather fall short 
than transgress the bounds of exact truth. These details 
fill us with horror ! Papal Rome has been " drunk with the 
blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus," besides the blood 
of millions of others of our fellow-men. Rome has been 
" drunk with the blood" of fifty millions of martyred Cul- 
dees, Waldenses, Albigenses, Bohemian Brethren, Wick- 
lifites, and Protestants ! Rome has been " drunk with the 
blood" of fifteen millions of Indians, butchered in cold blood 
in Cuba, Mexico, and South America! Rome has been 
" drunk with the blood" of three millions and a half of Jews, 
and Moors in Spain ! I Thus " the Mother of Harlots," 
seated on the scarlet-coloured beast, is drunk with the blood 

of SIXTY-EIGnX MILLIONS AND FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND 



INTRODUCTION. J 

HUMAN BEINGS ! ! No wonder is it that the holy apostle 
John beholding, in vision, the horrid carnage of this san- 
guinary power, "did wonder with great admiration." Had 
it been Rome pagan seen in vision by him, or any other 
barbarian power, he would not have wondered. But who 
would not have been overwhelmed with astonishment to 
have seen, in vision, a church, boasting itself the only Chris- 
tian church, thus " drunk with the blood" of so many mil- 
lions of men, women, and children! 

And while the sanguinary church of Rome was — to use 
the words ofDaniel — thus *' wearing out the saints of the Most 
High God," she was, at the same time, giving a fresh and 
painful evidence of her identity with the " horn" of Daniel, 
and the great " beast" of St. John. To the head of the pa- 
pal church " was given a mouth speaking great things, and 
blasphemies against the Most High." Daniel vii. 25. Rev. 
xiii. 6. By his legislators in the Council of Trent, the Pope 
has solemnly pronounced the Holy Bible to be a prohibited 
BOOK V^ Thus the Antichrist puts himself between God 
and his subjects; and ventures to declare in the face of the 
Almiahty, and in the ears of all men, that he will not allow 
man to hear God's word as it comes from him : that he will 
7int allow our Lord to speak to us through any other medium 
than his priests ; and only in a garbled and corrupted version 
of the Bible, if it mvst be allowed at all ! He creates what 
he caUs a Hiring teacher, and a living judge. He puts 
himself and his priests, with his traditions, bulls and canons, 
in the stead of God's holy word, and his ordinances, and 
his true gospel ministry ; the Pope claims to be that living 
teacher and judge/// 

Moreover, the prophet says that " he opens his mouth in 
blasphemies against the Most High." He does not even 
hesitate to declare it as an article of doctrine, that Mary was 
immaculate ; that is, born without sin ; that she is " the 
Mother of God ;^'' and that her mother, St. Anna, was, of 
course, the grandmother of God //I By the mouth of his 

* Cvitn experimento manifestam est, 8cc. It is manifest from 
experience that if the sacred Bible, translated into the vulvar 
ton,^ue, be indiscriminately allowed to each one, more mischief 
than g-ood will arise from it, by the temerity of man, &c. De Lib. 
Prohit. Regula. iv. 



g INTRODUCTIOP/. 

servant, called St. Liguori, he has put forth as solemn trutha 
of Rome, the following unparalleled doctrines and forms of 
devotion.* And here let me say, that I quote him in this 
place for three reasons : St. Liguori is the last saint that has 
been canonized ; this having taken place in 1831, or 1832 ; 
besides, the book is little known among us; and lastly, it 
proves that the doctrines and enormous idolatry of Rome at 
this day are precisely, in all points, what they were in the 
Dark Ages. 

The Pope, by his sainted servant Liguori, has taught that 
" as God the Father so loved us, that he gave his only be- 
gotten Son for us, — so may we express the love of Mary. 
Yes, says St. Bonaventure, Mary has so loved us, that she 
gave us her only son." Chap. i. Sect. 3. Again : " The 
king of heaven has given us his mother for our mother; 
and in her hands he has, if we may say so, resigned his 
onmipotence in the sphere of grace!" Chap. iii. Sect. 1. 
Again: "The Lord, O Mary, says St. Anselm, has so 
exalted you, that his favour has rendered you omnipotent! 
Yes, says Richard of St. Lawrence, Mary is omnipotent! 
For, according to all laws, the qveen enjoys the same privi- 
leges as the king; and that power may be equal between 
the son and the mother, Jesus has rendered Mary omnipo- 
tent, — the one is so by nature, the other by grace !" Chap, 
vi. Sect. 1. Again: "The Virgin Mary was assumed up 
into heaven (bodily) to intercede confidently for us. Hence 
she is the arbiter of our lot. As an arbiter decides between 
two parties, thus Jesus permits his mother to decide between 
him and vs" Chap. vi. Sect. 3. Again : " O how many 
sinners would have persevered in their wickedness, and 
thence had been damned eternally, but for Mary^s inter- 
cession!'*^ Once more : " We can say of the saints, that 
God was with them ; but to Mary it is given not only to 
conform herself to the will of God; but that God liimself 
has been conformed to her will. And while we say that 
virgins follow the Lamb ; we can say of Mary on earth, that 
the Lamb followed her." Chap. vi. Sect. 1. "Who could 
know God except by you, O holy virgin, says St. Germa- 

* St. Liguori*s Book. The Glories of Mary, the Mother of God, 
translated from the Italian, and revised by a Roman priest. Dub- 
hn: printed by John Coyne, 1833. 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

nus ; who could be saved, O all powerful Virgin, except by 
your intercession !" Chap. v. Sect. 2. " Holy Virgin, I 
shall no longer apprehend my sins since you can repair 
them, nor the devils since you are more powerful than hell ; 
nor your son (Jesus) when justly irritated, since one word 
from you will appease him/" Chap. ii. Sect. 2. " O my 
sovereign Mary, says St. Francis of Sales, be my advocate 
with your son ; I dare not recur to him." " When Christ 
said on the cross, ' Behold thy mother,' this means, no one 
shall be made partaker of the merits of my blood but by the 
intercession of my mother. My wounds are fountains of 
grace; but Mary is the canal through which they flow,"&c. 
" To this question of David, ' Who, O Lord, shall stand in 
thy holy place?' St. Bonaventure replies, he will stand 
in thy holy place who devotes himself to Mary! If she 
wills our salvation, it is already secured." " By you, O 
Mary, says St. Bernard, heaven has been opened ; hell has 
given up its prey ; the celestial city has been peopled ; and 
eternal life given to those who deserve hell." Chap. viii. 
Sect. 3. 

This is a specimen of" the great things and blasphemies, 
uttered by the mouth of this antichristian power. And, to 
crown the whole, this new-made saint adds : " All power, 
O Mary, is given to you in heaven, and on earth." " All 
are subject to Mary's empire, even God himself, — imperio 
Virginis omnia famulantvr, etiam Deus ! ! /" — (Chap. vi. 
Sect. 1, p. 131.) And if there be "a lower deep, in this 
lowest deep," we find it in the following unique effusion of 
St. Bonaventure; "O Felix puerpera, nostra plans scelera, 
jure matris impera Redemptori I" "O holy Mother of God, 
atoning for our crimes, exercising the rights of a mother, lay 
thy commands imperatively on the Redeemer; impera Re- 
demptori." Again: "Jure matris impera dilectissimo tuo 
filio Domino nostro Jesu Christo." " Command thy beloved 
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!!!"* 

And I add, these superlative specimens of blasphemies 
have been sanctioned by the present Pope, Gregory XVI. 
In his "Encyclical Letter," or bull, issued in 1832, he says, 
in the close, " Now, that all these events may come to pass 

* St. Bonavent. Cor. B. M. Virg. Tom. vi. Morn. Exercises 
on Popery, p. 523. 
1 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

happily, and successfully, let us lift up our eyes, and our 
hands to the most holy Virgin Mary, who alone has de- 
stroyed all heresies, and is our greatest confidence^ even 
the whole foundation of our hope ! ! P'' 

Such are the predictions of the rise and establishment of 
the great and fierce power which was to wage war against 
Messiah, and the liberties and lives of mankind. And such 
has been the fulfilment of them, even to the letter, in the 
rise and establishment of the Roman Catholic Church. But 
our blessed Lord comforted his church with the assurance 
that the ghostly and temporal reign of this sanguinary and 
idolatrous power is limited to " time, times, and the dividing 
of a time,''^ that is, three and a half prophetical years; or, 
in the words of St. John, forty -two months. And multiply- 
ing 42 by 30, the number of days assigned by the ancients 
to each month, we discover its correspondence with the 
other form of expressions by St. John, namely, 1260 days. 
And opening this mystery by the key given to us by the Lord 
to the prophet, Ezekiel iv. 6, namely, " I appoint thee each 
day for a year," we arrive at the true time of the enemy's 
duration, namely, 1260 years. Now, our Divine Master 
has pronounced his blessing on those who read and under- 
stand. Hence, while we search into this, it is delightful to 
derive courage and consolation from the assurance of the 
approaching downfall of this Man of Sin. From the year 
260 or 270, down to the close of the reign of Constantino, 
the great Antichrist was born and cradled. Certain rites 
and superstitions, which were derived from paganism, and 
peculiar to popery, were introduced into the Christian world, 
by several individuals. Add the 1260 years to these re- 
spective dates, and we arrive at the times of the glorious 
Reformation ; when the Man of Sin received what may be 
called his first death-blow. But the year 606 is the date of 
the consummation of the Pope's spiritual power. He was 
then made universal bishqp, or Pope. These two num- 
bers being added, brings us to the year 1866 ; when we ex- 
pect a glorious deliverance from his spiritual tyranny. 
And, finally, the Pope became, in prophetic language, " the 
Beast," in 756, when he gained the triple crown, and be- 
came a temporal and ghostly power. Adding these two 
numbers, we arrive at the year 2016, when he will be ut- 



INTRODUCTION. 



11 



terly destroyed in the light and glory of the ushered in Mil- 
lenial day ! 

It is generally understood, I believe, by all judicious com- 
mentators, that this fierce and sanguinary power will put 
forth its desperate, persevering, and last struggle, for some 
time preceding its final overthrow. I am inclined to be- 
lieve that our readers will admit that we are now living in 
that very period. The struggle is simultaneous on the con- 
tinent of Europe, and especially in Britain, Ireland, and the 
United States. The reckless desperadoes of the Jesuit sect, 
revived by Pope Pius VIL, in 1814, are now enacting in 
Europe, and in our republic, the very scenes which formerly 
convulsed every nation in Europe. The present struggle 
is a desperate one. We are in the midst of it, and it is 
high time that each one of us should, like our brother 
Berg, buckle on our armour, in good earnest. This 
anomalous and persecuting power is pouring in upon our 
republic its colonies, and invading armies. It must be 
obvious to every intelligent person, who examines it care- 
fully, that it is not, strictly speaking, a Christian church, 
or, a religious system, derived from the Holy Bible ; if it 
were, we should not apprehend danger from it, to our free 
institutions, and our holy religion. We apprehend no dan- 
ger whatever from any one of all the various denominations 
of the Christian world. The spirit and pursuits of all these 
are essentially different from those of the Roman Catholic sect. 
It is a great POLiTiCALengine,cunningly contrived, and put to- 
gether by the genius of the mere men of the world, and men of 
pleasure ; for the purpose of obtaining power and dominion 
over men. Hence it is admirably adapted to abstract the 
wealth of communities, and nations, and turn it into its own 
treasuries. Two results follow the steady and continued 
operation of this political religion. On the one hand, the 
lay population of the nation under it, waxes poorer and 
poorer ; and that " church" waxes richer and richer. It 
cost Spain fifty m.illions, annually, to support this ghostly 
and tyrannical power; which sat as an incubus on her. 
The old Mortmain law of England was enacted for the ex- 
press purpose of pj*eventing the Pope's tax-gatherers, the 
Roman priests, from gaining to " the church" the whole 
landed property of England ! 

On the other hand, wherever Romanism gains the ascen- 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

dency, pure religion, and sound morals, wither and die under 
its blighting doctrines, rites, and priesthood. Were it a true 
Christian church, the diffusion of its spirit and influence, 
would make man happy, industrious, steady, temperate, and 
thence above want. The true church of God has, usually, 
been poor. The world's church — the Pope's church — is 
rich. Were Rome a Christian church, it would revive, and 
sustain Christianity, sound doctrine, genuine godliness, and 
pure morals. But, no, it is merely a great political en- 
gine, moved and propelled by men of the world, who feel 
it necessary, for profitable ends, to wear the mask of reli- 
gion. The great leading sects of Romanism are waked up. 
The Jesuits take the lead. They are all in full operation, 
in our republic, and in Europe. Those emissaries of Rome, 
the successors of those who have convulsed every nation in 
Christendom, and shed the blood of the saints in torrents, 
are all now labouring in the one only thing in which they 
can all agree; namely, to undermine, and ultimately, de- 
stroy, the Protestant religion ; and Protestant liberty, and, 
with these, our republican institutions. 

We implore the candid, and very earnest attention of 
every liberal-minded man, who abhors every thing like "a 
persecuting religion" to this subject. This denomination of 
political religionists are absolute exclusives in the hopes 
of salvation. No man under heaven is right but themselves! 
All except themselves are hopeless reprobates 1 It is a 
boldly avowed dogma of Romanism, that not one s&ul can 
he saved out of the pale of their sect ! This is not an un- 
just imputation. Pope Pius's creed thus closes, after an enu- 
meration of the novel doctrines, idolatrous rites, and mar- 
vellously superstitious ceremonies of the Romish church : 
" This is the true Catholic faith ; out 6f which no one can 
be saved,' extra quam nemo salvus esse potest." Hence no 
charity can be cultivated by the genuine Romanist. In pro- 
portion as he rigorously clings to his faith, he hates all his 
dissenting fellow men, with a zeal proportioned to the 
strength of his faith in his church. Hence his unsubdued 
bigotry. He reasons not. There is no use in his hearing 
reasons. His church is infallible. She cannot err; she 
never has erred. All, of course, who differ from her, are 
^ in MORTAL sin! Hence a thorough bred Romanist, under the 
zealous training of his priest, looks on the Protestant, just as 



IJfTRODUCTION. J3 

one who meditates slaughter and death, looks on his in- 
tended victim, who is soon to perish ! Hence, instead of 
that liberal charity, he nurses the deepest bigotry. Instead 
of that open-hearted and heaven-born benevolence, entering 
into his soul, and urging him forward in overcoming evil by 
doing good, he is taught to nurse a gloomy misanthropy, 
and a cruel and unchristian bitterness of heart, toward all 
who differ from his priests, and his religion. Hence, that 
characteristic, and prompt disposition to resort to personal 
violence and bloodshed, when truth and argument from a 
Protestant arrow, happens to penetrate their dark and gloomy 
hearts ! In the bosom of every bigot and priest-ridden fana- 
tic, in all false religions, and in the bosom of all idolaters, 
there burns a hidden, but fierce flame, which nothing but 
blood can quench ! The murderous crusades against the 
Waldenses, the atrocious massacres of Ireland and France, 
and the dungeons, the racks, and fires of the Inquisition, are 
melancholy demonstrations of this. To this, we beg a 
hearing from every generous and high-minded man, whose 
soul is deeply imbued with the spirit of our republican li- 
berty, in this land where every thing like persecution, and 
an overbearing haughtiness of claims over the rights of 
others, are viewed and treated with abhorrence. This, we 
assure you, is an essential element, in the composition of 
Romanism. It is, in its very nature, a persecuting religion. 
It is very true, we admit, that some Protestants have perse- 
cuted their fellow men for their religion. But let no Roman 
glory in uncovering the nakedness of our forefathers. For 
no one of them did persecute, who did not learn the cruel 
lesson of persecution in the bosom of Rome. Besides, when 
they persecuted, it was in the very face of the Holy Bible 
and their creed, and just in proportion as Protestants have 
advanced in their march of truth and godliness, farther and 
farther from Rome, all the disposition to persecute has va- 
nished utterly away. 

But it is quite otlierwise with Romanism. It is a neces- 
sary and essential part of its creed and its practice, to use 
violence against those who differ from it in religion. It 
makes no concealment of this. It boldly avows it in its 
creed. It has unblushingly taught and practised the dogma, 
that " no faith is to be kept with heretics^ It even 
proceeds to draw proofs from reason! It declares all those 

X* 



J4 INTRODUCTION. 

who differ from ft, to be heretics; and heretics are pro>- 
nounccd by the court of Rome, to be the worst of murderersf 
Because they murder men's souls by leading them away 
from Holy Mother, Rome. Hence " they ought, as other 
murderers and mankillers, to be put to death." Every body 
knows that this doctrine is avowedly taught in the notes of 
the Roman version, called " The Rhemish New Testament." 
I simply refer to the notes on Matt. xiii. 29 ; Luke ix. .55 ; 
Heb. X. 29 ; Rev. xvii. 6. In all these notes this is the 
uniform dogma inculcated, namely, that all heretics^ wher- 
ever Holy Mother has the power, are to he " deprived of 
their goods, exiled, or executed.''^ 

Their sainted worthies teach the same. For instance, 
St. Thomas Aquinas lays this truly Roman Catholic doc- 
trine , " Hseretici possent, &c. Heretics may not only be 
excommunicated, hut justly killed.'' Thom. Aq. ii. 11, 
and iii. 58. And Bellarmine in Lib. iii. cap. 21, De Laicis, 
sustains a long argument in defence of " the time-honoured 
custom" of putting heretics to death. He pronounces it a 
necessary duty to do so. He fetches his zealous arguments 
from civil law, from canon law, from Scripturey from the 
fathers, and from reason! I beg the attention of our philo* 
sophical and political fellow-citizens to this last form of 
Romish argument. " It is a benefit," says he, " to the 
heretic himself to be sent out of the world as soon as pos- 
sible. For the longer he lives, the worse he becomes ; and 
if he be thus sent off, his hell will he so much lighter!!!''''^ 
It is a considerate scheme of mercy, then, which lights up 
the fires of Smilhfield; which digs the dungeons of the mer- 
ciful inquisition. It is the mercy of considerate priests 
which invents the rack, and superintends all the character- 
istic operations of every appalling death form in the auto 
DA FE ! ! I Verily, such " tender mercies of the wicked are 
cruel." 

In view of all this, we would unite our voice earnestly 
with that of our brother Berg, in making an earnest ap- 
peal to every Christian in our land. Dear brethren, materials 

* Those who may not have access to Bellarmine, or to St. T. 
Aquinas, can see numerous quotations collected in our Letters in 
the Roman Catholic Controversy. New York, second edition, 
p. 343, &c. 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

are here laid before you to show you that, in reality, every 
essential doctrine of the gospel has been corrupted by this 
Antichristian power of Rome. To the one supreme object 
of worship, they have added hosts of idols and new-made 
gods. They profess to believe that the humble Mary is the 
Mother of God; and actually lays her imperial commands 
on him!!! The church of God they have converted into a 
temple of idolatry. Instead of a gospel ministry, they have 
revived the office of priests, who offer sacrifices. Instead of 
our New Testament ahar, Christ, on whom all Christians 
offer up their spiritual sacrifices of prayer, praise, and new 
obedience, they have reared an altar of idols. Instead of 
resting their hopes on the atoning blood of our Redeemer, 
who has "bought the church with his own blood," they 
have caused the mass to be repeated weekly as a sacrifice 
for the sins o[ the quick and the dead! Instead of justifica- 
tion through our Redeemer's atonement, through faith, with- 
out works of merit ; they dispense pardons by the priest, 
and cleansing by holy water, by priestly absolution, and the 
fire of purgatory ; and thus they reject the Holy Ghost in 
his blessed work of grace. We have exhibited to you a 
full specimen of the blasphemies in their avowed worship 
of Mary. Can you persuade yourselves that those who do, 
in this enlightened age, advance such revolting doctrines^ 
and practice such gross idolatry, and make saints of those 
who taught them such impieties, do really either know or 
believe in the one living and true God? Do any of the 
heathens profess to change their " 77JoZa," or small round 
cakes into their divinity, and then eat him up!!! There is 
nothing in ancient or in modern paganism that can surpass 
this in respect of impiety and degradation ! It is not to be 
wondered at that they have lost the true object of divine 
worship ! It is no wonder they have blotted from their 
creed all the essentials of the gospel ! With them there is 
no regeneration of the heart. They call this fiinaticism. 
With them there is no free grace. With them every thing 
is sold^ from holy water to the mass and extreme unctionf 
With them our Redeemer is not the only and all-sufficient 
intercessor. As his atonement is displaced by the mass, so 
his advocacy is transferred into the hands of Mary and a 
host of canonized saints ! Read, then, the following pages 
of our brother Berg, and look upon the wide field of moral 



J 6 INTRODUCTION. 

desolation around you, from which is sent forth the heart- 
rending cry of perishing souls ! The Roman Catholic church 
exhibits a truly missionary ground, urgently demanding our 
speedy and earnest interposition. Let us hasten to combine 
our efforts to convert to the Lord Jesus Christ, the slaves of 
Romanism and priest-craft. Their souls are as precious as 
ours; and can you name another darker or a more bewil- 
dered people than they are? The Roman church is "the 
land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols." 
Jcrem. iv. 38. 

We make our appeal also to every patriotic, political man 
in our republic. This, we beg you to remember, is not 
merely a religious controversy. We have been summoned 
to the defence of our free institutions against an invading 
foe, — the household troops of the Roman despot, and the 
emissaries of the Holy Alliance. There is no mistake on 
this point. We have here shown you out of their own 
creed, that Romanism always unites church and state in 
the very worst of tyrannies ; namely, tyranny over the con- 
science, and tyranny over the bodies of men ! And hence, 
just in proportion as these bigoted and fiery religionists gain 
ascendancy among us, they march on vigorously to the 
overthrow of our fair Republic! I will give you two ex- 
tracts to show you that the Holy Alliance are giving an im- 
pulse and direction to the movements of the colonies of 
Jesuit priests and laymen poured in upon us. And first, I must 
remind you that the leading member of the Holy Alliance 
is the patron, he and his prime minister Metternich, of the 
Leopoldine Missionary Institute of Vienna, who send in 
these emissaries upon us. The ^rst extract is from Lord 
Brougham, whom you all know to be a shrewd observer of 
the movements of the enemies of liberty. In a letter to Dr. 
Parr, published in the South Carolina Observer in 1824, he 
says: " Whether the Holy Alliance will be mad enough to 
persist, remains yet to be seen. I believe, however, that 
they are in a dilemma. For, if they remain passive specta- 
tors of the complete establishment of democracy all over the 
new world, the despotic thrones of the old world will be held 
by a somewhat frail tenure!" 

My second extract speaks out still more clearly. It is 
from the famous Schlegel, the creature and tool of Metter- 
nich, and the emperor. In vol. ii. sect. 17, on History, 



INTRODUCTION. j^ 

p. 286, he thus breaks out against our Republic : " The real 
nursery of all these destructive principles, the revolutionary 
school of France, and the rest of Europe, has been North 
America. From that land has the evil spread over 
many other lands, either by natural contagion, or by arbi- 
trary communication." By force of arms they well know 
they can never extinguish the light, nor stop the progress of 
liberty, the child of the glorious Reformation-! If ever our 
liberties can be destroyed, it is to be done by the vigorous 
combination and labours of the Jesuits. The memorable 
words of General Lafayette I repeat from one who heard 
him utter them: "If ever the liberty of your Republic of 
America be destroyed, it will be done by the Roman priests,; 
so beware of themP'' These, the servants of the Holy 
Alliance are accordingly in full operation over Britain and 
the United States, doing their master's foul and treasonable 
work. It is, therefore, your dufy, as public guardians, to 
take good heed, and see that the Republic receive no damage 
from these crafty enemies ! 

Christians and brethren in the holy ministry, we bring 
our urgent appeal to you also ; as we urge on your attention 
these instructions and solemn warninors of our faithful bro- 
ther, Mr. Berg. We call on you to watch the movements 
of the foreign Jesuits among us, who have convulsed all 
Europe in former times, and are now again at the same 
game ! They are pursuing their systems of conspiracy and 
subjugation by every possible means, and every variety of 
ways. With foreign funds they erect, in all prominent 
points, splendid edifices, and they invite and tempt our youth 
to witness and unite in their pompous and imposing super- 
stitions. They throw a fjilse veil over their monstrous system 
by means of their English books and feigned discourses. 
Like Milton's demon, they labour too successfully '* to make 
the worse appear the better cause 1" They are making a 
desperate and persevering effort to obtain in their own hands, 
the education of our Protestant sons and daughters, espe- 
cially those of the more wealthy and influential of our fel- 
low-citizens. They have originated a conspiracy to obtain, 
by all possible arts, large funds out of our Public School 
treasury, to support their own corrupting and sectarian 
schools ! And as a religious body, they move in a mass in 
politics, ready to support those who will lavisih on them tha 



28 INTRODUCTION. 

highest pecuniary favours.* At the same time, they affect 
the most extraordinary liberality, and make very plausible 
appeals to Protestant high-mindedness, and their usual un- 
stinted charity. Priests and lay-brothers are sent forth all 
over the land, to do their master's work in any form or way ; 
particularly as teachers of our youth/ They attempt to 
bribe, but more generally to overawe the press. They 
gravdy encourage the fears of weak and timorous Protest- 
ants, that very serious danger is really to be apprehended 
to the property, the churches, and the persons of those who 
venture out boldly to oppose papists ! And they flatter and 
caress the timorous and half Protestants in the community 
in their attempts to persuade us to let papists alone, and 
suffer them quietly to pursue their conspiracy, unmolested, 
against our liberties, and our holy religion ! In view of all 
this, we beseech every man of you to come out as honestly, 
as faithfully, as gallantly as our beloved brother, Mr. Berg, 
has done, in the pulpit, and by the press. 

Let all scholars and lovers of science, also, unite with us 
in opposing the Roman sect, which has proved itself the 
avowed enemy of popular education ; and which, of course, 
keeps its votaries in utter darkness. Look at their popula- 
tion in Mexico, South America, and Spain. Alas! they are 
deplorably ignorant, and covered with the darkness of mo- 
ral death. Hasten to oppose the progress of this sect in our 
land, which attempts to draw our youth into their schools 
and colleges, which are at least a century behind our Pro- 
testant seminaries in point of literature. One fair proof is 
before you. Look into their Pope's Books, Prohibitory, 
and ExpURGATORY. All our principal classics in English, 
are in the list of books utterly prohibited ! All our best his- 
tories ; our best poets, as Milton; our best philosophical 
books, as Locke, Paley, Dugald Stewart, are not allowed 
to be opened, far less read, by papists. What, then, must 
be the state of education among them? They have no ade- 
quate substitutes for our standard works. 

Let every lover of the Holy Bible, who delights in a 

* This was avowed in a speech, lately, at a meeting- of the cleri- 
cal members and laymen of the Roman Catholic church when 
forming th ir scheme to obtain public funds from the New York 
City Corporation for their schools. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

pure version, and in its universal diffusion among the peo- 
ple, come up promptly to our aid, in stemming the torrent 
of Romanism. The Pope has again and again denounced 
Bible societies ; particularly Pope Leo XII., and the present 
Pope, Gregory XVI. " By their perverse interpretations," 
says Leo XII., " they (the Bible societies) turn the gospel of 
Christ into a human gospel ; or, what is worse, into the gos- 
pel of the devil ! ! !"* And allow me to give you specimens 
of the versions they use. Genes, iii. 15 : " I will put en- 
mity between thee and the woman ; and thy seed and her 
seed : she (the Virgin Mary) shall crush thy head, and thou 
shall lie in wait for her heel." Matt. iii. 2 : "Do penance, 
and believe the gospel." Luke xiii. 3, 5 : " Unless you do 
penance, ye shall all perish." Acts xiii. 22 : " Do penance 
for this thy wickedness." Ephes v. 31, 32, speaking of 
marriage, this version says: "This is a great sacrament; 
but I speak in Christ, and in the church." Heb. xi. 21, 
this text they translate so as to afford divine authority for 
the use of images, thus : " By faith Jacob, when dying, 
blessed each of the sons of Joseph : and worshiped the fop 
of his rod/ / P^ See The Doway Bible ; New York edit, 
of 1836. 

I shall give you a specimen, also, from the Bordeaux edi- 
tion of the New Testament, by the divines of the Louvaine. 
Acts xiii. 2 : "As the apostles offered the sacrament of 
the mass and fasted, &c." 1 Cor. iii. 15: " Me shall be 
saved, yet as by the fire of purgatory." And that text in 
1 Tim. iv. 3, " Forbidding to marry," they render thus : 
"Condemning the sacrament of mnrriage."f Let your hearts 
be stirred up against this Antichrist, by zeal for the Lord of 
Hosts; and sustain with fresh vigour the cause of the Bible 
society. 

To our Roman Catholic fellow men, we would present 
our urgent and most respectful appeal. It can be neither 
your interest, nor ours, to be deceived. You must break 
the chains thrown over you. You have immortal souls to 
be saved or lost. By the love of God, and the bowels of 
mercy in Christ Jesus, we implore you to read, study, pray, — 

» See his "Encyclical Letter" of 1824, pp. 16, 54—57, Cramp's 
Text Book of Popery, p. 60, note. 

f Cramp's Text Book of Popery gives more specimens, pp. 
66—68. 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

think for yourselves. What right has a sinful, selfish, and 
avaricious man, called a priest, to lord it over your soul and 
conscience ? Have the courage to shake ofT this cruel des- 
potism, — this system of espionage, — this system of plun- 
dering you, your wife, and your children. Look into your 
own Doway Bible. There you see this '* Man of Sin," and 
devouring " Beast," plainly predicted, and fully described. 
Open your eyes, we beseech you, to the word of God. 
Your Creator never can deceive you : your priest for ever 
deceives you 1 Christ offers you grace, and salvation " with- 
out money and without price." All that the priest can give 
you, is sold for his own idol of money. He robs you of 
your property. His priestcraft will, alas! rob you of your 
souls. Oh ! for Jesus Christ's sake, " turn ye, turn ye, why 
will you die?" " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you 
shall be saved." Read the following pages of our brother 
Berg with attention, and a candid heart, lying frankly open 
to conviction. The priest, like the horse-leech, is ever cry- 
ing 'Give, — give; — your money; I demand your money, 
for my blessings; my masses; my prayers!' But this 
beloved minister of Christ asks none of your money. He 
seeks not yours, but you, for your everlasting salvation. 
As often as Friday returns, and the priest ^^ prohibits cer- 
tain meafSj'^ see ye not the very man, and the very system 
of Antichrist, as foretold by St. Paul ? As often as you 
look upon a priest, whom the Pope forbids to " marry " do 
you not see the slave of the " Man of Sin," as foretold by 
St. Paul, who was to forbid his priests to marry ? Hear 
ye not this plain and loud voice of God to you. Listen, 
then, to the sober, and pious instructions which our brother 
brings to you all, while he offers to you Christ, the only 
Redeemer, and with him all his blessings, as free as the 
air you breathe ! " Seek ye the Lord, while he may be 
found ; call ye upon him, while he is near." 

Finally : To the American youth we would bring our 
most urgent appeal on behalf of this common cause of our 
country and our God. You are, young gentlemen, to be, 
in due time, the active citizens, legislators, magistrates, and 
ministers of Christ in this republic. Your country's destiny, 
its weal and its wo, are soon to be in your hands. Show 
yourselves to be the worthy, the gallant, and devout sons of 
your venerable forefathers ! Take good heed, we implore 



INTRODUCTION. 21 

you, also, that neither our holy religion, nor our free re- 
public, sustain any damage, from these fierce, and unprin- 
cipled colonies of Jesuits, priests, nuns, and laymen, who 
are charged with the execution of the revolutionary plots of 
Rome, and the Holy Alliance. Be not deceived with the 
cry of the ignorant and designing, that this is merely a re- 
ligious controversy, and no more. We are invaded secretly 
and slyly by the fanatical troops of a great foreign power, 
which approaches us under the mask of religion. Our be- 
loved brother has, here, stript the vizor of religion off its 
face, and shown it in its true colours. Yet it may be that it 
cares not how many assaults be made, in exposing its ido- 
latry, its superstition, and its fierce bigotry and fanaticism ; 
provided our " holy Protestants," and godless politicians, 
will only favour it with their forbearance, and quietly allow 
it to do the work effectually, of their foreign master, in un- 
dermining, by all possible means, our fair and flourishing 
republic. The present watch-word of Rome is, " Be still, — 
but work harder than ever!" 

We implore you to bestow your careful attention on the 
movements of this fatal enemy. Make yourselves masters 
of its plans, its policy, and its aims. Although self-styled 
" a religious,^'' it is a mere human policy, foreign in its 
origin ; foreign in its support ; importing foreign vassals ; 
and sendincr a most destructive foreign influence over our 
land. Its Pope and priests are crafty politicians ; mere 
men of the world, and reckless men of pleasure. It is, as a 
system, in the hands of a foreign enemy of our country, 
precisely what the Koran is in the hands of the Grand Turk, 
and his muftis. It is a tremendous weapon, wielded against 
peace and order ; the hilt of which is at Rome ! It is as in- 
tolerant in politics, as in its unique creed. Its spiritual 
head claims the right to tax the subjects and citizens of other 
nations. It interferes with the internal regulations of go- 
vernments, and the affairs of every country. As " vicar of 
God upon earth," the Pope claims power over all civil ma- 
gistrates. It has dethroned chief magistrates: dissolved civil 
governments: suspended commerce: annulled civil laws: 
and, to gratify its lust of gold, and its unbounded ambition; 
it has thrown whole nations into utter confusion ! It has, 
for centuries, waged a war of extermination against the 

RIGHTS OF MAN ; THE LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE ; AND THE 
2 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

FREKDOM OF THE PRESS ! It has aimed, for ages, at uni- 
versal dominion over the bodies, property, and souls of men! 
And to accomplish these ends, it lius spared no one ; and it 
spares not the holiest men, nor holiest things. To accom- 
plish its diabolical ends, it has employed dungeons ; and 
chains; and racks; and gibbets; and fire; and sword!! 
The history of Europe, my honoured young friends, and 
fellow-citizens, is the continuous demonstration of these ter- 
rific facts ! " I speak as unto wise men ; judge ye what I 
say." 

And be assured, young men of America, that if ever, 
by your culpable negligence, and want of zeal, these sons of 
Belial should gain the ascendancy, and power, in our land, 
which they aim at, backed, as they are, by Rome, and the 
Holy Alliance, they will re-enact all the bloody tragedies of 
Roman Catholic Europe ; which will make the ears of every 
American citizen to tingle! Under Almighty God, the 
Protectx)R of our country, it is in your power, young men 
of America, to cause this enemy's "arm to be clean dried 
up, and his right eye to be utterly darkened !" And our 
beloved brother, Mr. Berg, and all of us, I trust, will go 
with you, shoulder to shoulder, with one heart, and one 
cheering war-shout, under the banner of the Captain of 
Salvation, in achieving the glorious victory ! And our 
watchword, as we advance in the defensive war, as well as 
offensive, is, Christ's cause and crown; God, and our 
country's salvation ! 

W. C. Brownlee. 



New York, Sept. 3, 1840. 



PREFACE. 



Whenever a book that wears the aspect of controversy, is 
added to the multitude of volumes that are daily issuing from the 
press, the public may reasonably ask the cause of this addition. 

It is not the writer's intention to apologize for the publication 
of these lectures. When they were delivered, it was not origi- 
nally his purpose to let them assume a permanent form ; but 
they were demanded, and nearly one-half of an unusually large 
edition was engaged before the work had left the press. 

I shall never apologize either to the people of my own charge, 
or to the public, for preaching and writing against popery; for 
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; neither am I afraid to 
lift up my voice and to cry aloud against the abominations of 
the Man of Sin ; and to rebuke, so far as my influence extends, 
the impudence of Antichrist. Many Protestants have, of late, 
by a singular and false liberality, accustomed themselves to re- 
gard the church of Rome as a part of the church of Christ, and 
while they all profess to believe that the papal system is fear- 
fully corrupt, they yet recognise it as belonging to the true 
Catholic church. Upon what grounds this concession can be 
justified, I do not know. If the prophecies relative to the Man 
of Sin are literally fulfilled in the Romish apostacy, and no un- 
prejudiced man with the Bible before him will venture to deny it, 
then how can we give place for a single hour to those who teach 
that Romanism is Christianity] What fellowship has Christ 
with Antichrist? What communion has light with darkness) 
If both reason and Scripture reply that they have none, and that 
their union is naturally and morally impossible, then how dare 
any man join what God has foi>3ver put asunder 1 For Roman- 
ists themselves, I trust I cherish no other feelings than those 
which every Christian man should harbour ; but for the system 
of popery, the "mystery of iniquity," "in all its deceivableness 
of unrighteousness," and in all the shades and grades of its 
known and unknown abominations, I do entertain the most 



24 PREFACE. 

hearty abhorrence. I believe it to be the Arch-deceiver of pre- 
cious souls, and "the Master-piece of Satan." 

The reader of the following pages will understand that many 
Roman Catholics were present at the delivery of these lectures; 
and the writer can and docs cheerfully testify that, with one or 
two exceptions, the strictest decorum was uniformly observed 
by them. There were muttered threats of vengeance it is true, 
but as they proceeded invariably from the " lewd fellows of the 
baser sort," it would be unjust to impute to respectable Roman- 
ists the sins of iheir weaker brethren. 

Whilst it was no part of my design in these lectures to wound 
the feelings of any man, it was not consistent with my purpose, 
«ither through fear or favour, to conceal the truth. I have 
spoken and written what I conscientiously believe to be true, 
and am prepared to review my book at the bar of God. 

For the arguments employed, I alone am responsible; for the 
facts adduced as illustrations of principles, I have uniformly 
given my authority when obtained from any other source 
than my own observation; nor have I, except in a single in- 
stance, quoted from an anonymous writer, and in this isolated 
case, the author presents a well-known and respectable en- 
dorser. The doctrines of Romanists I have derived in every 
instance /rom their own bonks, and have stated their own argu- 
ments as fully and fairly as I could. I have, in every case, 
g'iven the best argument I could find in their authorized books, 
in favour of their peculiar tenets ; but if in any matter I have 
through inadvertence been mistaken, it will aflx)rd me pleasure 
to rectify my error.* 

That the Lord may bless his own testimony, and set his seal 
to every sentiment in this book which accords with his holy will, 
and apply his word with power to the heart of every sincere in- 
quirer after truth, is the sincere prayer of 

THE AUTHOR. 

Philad, Sept. 1, 1840. 

* The work which I ha^-e followed as a text-book of Romanism, is called the 
-•Gr7s"c J,,^*^^°^''' Doctrine;" to this I refer under the abbreviation of 



LECTURES ON ROMANISM. 



INFALLIBILITY, 

2 Cor. i. 24. 

*♦ Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are 
helpers of vour joy ; for by faith ye stand." 

One of the dearest privileges of a freeman, is the right of 
conscience. The liberty of worshipping God according to 
its dictates, is one of the choicest blessings of genuine free- 
dom ; for the absence of this inherent right, no other privi- 
leges can atone. The government which denies it to its 
subjects is a despotism, and the people who submit to be 
deprived of liberty of conscience are slaves, whether their 
consent be voluntary or constrained. No man has a right 
to give away this birth-right; much less to take it away 

from another. 

The word of God acknowledges no other mode of pro- 
mulf^ating the knowledge and worship of Jehovah, than 
moral means. It uniformly repudiates physical force. It 
tolerates no carnal weapons in the prosecution of the spiritual 
warfare, for the kingdom of Christ is not of this world. 
All power is committed to the Saviour. He sways a sceptre 
of universal dominion; heaven and earth are obedient to 
him, and yet he never interferes with the free-agency of his 
intellicrent creation. He sets before them the motives fur- 
nished in his word. He draws arguments from time and 



20 INFALLIBILITY. 

from eternity ; from heaven, earth and hell ; but he always 
respects the moral constitution which his own hand first 
conferred upon his rational creatures. It is true, mere moral 
suasion without the quickening power of the Holy Spirit 
would never regenerate the soul ; but the influence which 
the Spirit of God exerts is always moral, and never physicaL 
The whole genius of Christianity, therefore, acknowledges 
the right of free choice. 

It is the boast of our country and the brightest orna- 
ment of our civil institutions, that every man has liberty 
to worship God according to the dictates of liis own con- 
science. But it is right that we should give with meek- 
ness and fear, a reason of the hope that is in us to every 
man that asks it ; and if it is just that we should give a 
reason to others, it is certainly not unjust that we should 
ask one of them. Hence the privilege of free discussion 
follows as an inference from liberty of conscience. The 
day is over, I trust, when an examination of the tenets of 
those who differ from us so widely, who are so diametri- 
cally opposite to us as Romanists are, can be construed as 
" persecution." From my heart I pity the man who cries 
out " persecution" so soon as his principles are investigated ; 
and I pity the cause that needs such an advocate. We take 
no man's rights from him, when we inquire into and expose 
his creed. If I can show, (and by the help of God, I think 
I can,) that the Romish church makes unwarrantable and 
arrogant pretensions, I do not trench upon the rights of my 
Roman Catholic friends one single hair's breadth. They 
have a right to their opinion ; I have a right to mine ; but 
as truth should be the object of all our investigations, we 
ought carefully and candidly to weigh every grain of evi- 
dence for or against our peculiar tenets. Besides, the cry 
of " persecution" will come with a very poor grace from 
" Holy Mother," when it is notorious that her churches are 



INFALLIBILITY. ^ 27 

forever ringing with denunciations of Protestants, those 
high-handed rebels against her authority ! 

My brethren, it is a sense of duty, and not inclination that 
has induced me to call your attention to the subject of 
Romanism. I have no pleasure in controversy, and if the 
niatters in dispute between the Protestant church and that 
of Rome involved no fundamental difference in opinion and 
practice, T should never have opened my lips to speak about 
them. But when we have reason to believe that the more 
odious features in the system of popery are carefully con- 
cealed by its advocates, it becomes the duty of Protestant 
ministers to cry aloud. They owe it to God and to their 
church, and they owe it to souls who may be on the verge of 
embracing a pernicious delusion, to lift up their voice like a 
trumpet] It has been the favourite policy of popish priests 
to represent Romanism as a harmless thing, and if they ever 
succeed in making this impression general, we may well 
tremble for the liberties of our country. It is a startling 
truth that popery and civil and religious liberty cannot 
flourish on the same soil ; popery is death to both ! The voice 
of a thousand years' history attests the fact, that wherever 
the Pope has ruled, despotism has been at home; and pre- 
sent experience confirms it. I can challenge the whole world 
to show me an acre of the ground which the Pope claims as 
his, and which is ruled by his influence, that does not groan 
tinder his cruel yoke! Is Romanism a harmless thing] 
Look at Spain and Portugal, at Italy, or Cuba, or South 
America, and then let any honest man reply, and I will 
abide by his verdict! Now, remember, it is the stand- 
ins boast of the Romish church, that she is always and 
everywhere the same. She claims to be infallible. She 
cannot err ! Who does not see that consistency with her 
own principles compels her to yoke the liberties of this 
country to her car just so soon as she can do it ? The in- 



28 INFALLIBILITY. * 

fallible church that gloried in the active zeal of the holy in- 
quisition in burning hundreds of thousands of heretics, would 
of course rejoice could she grace an Auto da Fe to-morrow 
with a few hundred Protestant nninisters. She openly avows 
her persecuting principles — in her standard works, and in 
the sanguinary decrees of her councils, which are not only 
unrepealed, but irrevocable. The annotation in the Rhe- 
mish Testament on Matt. xiii. 29, is as follows : 

"The good must tolerate the evil, when it is so stroDfy 
that it cannot be redressed without danger and disturbance 
of the whole church, and commit the matter to God's judg- 
ment in the latter day. Otherwise where ill men, be they 
heretics or other malefactors, may be punished or suppressed 
without disturbance and hazard of the good ; they may and 
ought by public authority, either spiritual or temporal, to 
be chastised or executed."* 

I do not mean to say that all the members of the Romish 
church in America, or that the great body of them are the 
enemies of civil liberty. I know that sonie of our best citi- 
zens are members of this persuasion ; but I do say that the 
system of popery necessarily ends in despotism whenever 
its real principles are developed and fairly carried ou«t. But 
I waive this matter for the present, as I intend to resume it 
hereafter. 

How different is the spirit of Paul from that of the popish 
church. The apostle says in the text, " Not that we have do- 
minion over your faith," dec. or, " not because we lord it over 
you through the faith." The apostle did not " lord it over God's 
heritage." The faith of the disciples was to be advanced only 
by exhortations and admonitions, and if fatherly chastisement 
was to be administered, it might be done even by the apostles 
only in accordance with the suggestions of the Holy Spirit, 

* Rheui. Test., p. 44. New York. 1834k 



1NFALL1BILTT\^ 29 

and not at their discretion. (1 Cor. xii. 9.) But the church 
of Rome claims absolute dominion over the faith of the 
whole world. By asserting her infallibility in matters of 
doctrine and practice, she endorses all the abuses and abomi- 
nations which have at any time prevailed under her sanction. 
Though many of her own writers have condemned them, 
yet she cannot do so without subverting the foundations of 
her supremacy. So far from relinquishing the claim to 
infallibility, she curses all as heretics who question it. 

The prerogative of entire freedom from error, is open- 
ly arrogated by Papists, in behalf of their church. In 
the " Grounds of Catholic Doctrine," published with the 
approbation of the Authorities of the Romish Church, 
amongst sundry " strong reasons," and strange perversions 
of Scripture, advanced in support of Roman infallibility, 
we find the following query, v/hich I quote in order to prove 
that this high prerogative is really claimed. 

"How then could it be possible that the whole body of these 
pastors and teachers of the church, who, by virtue of these 
promises, were to be for ever guided into all truth, by the Spirit 
of Truth, should, at any time, fall from the truth by errors in 
faith ?"* The promises to which these words refer, are those 
exceeding great and precious ones, which are still made " to 
us and to our children, and to as many as the Lord our 
God shall call;" but which never were made to " the whole 
body" of pastors and teachers of any persuasion, but only 
to those, who individually seek the precious influences of 
the Spirit by humble, persevering prayer. No man can 
truly say, that he is filled with the Spirit merely because 
he is a minister of Christ, much less, because he has been 
ordained by a Romish Bishop. The residue of the Spirit is 
with the Lord Jesus Christ, and every man, and every mi- 

* Grds. of C. D., p. 17. 
3* 



80 



INFALLIBILITY, 



nister, will receive the Holy Spirit in his sanctifying power, 
only in answer to prayer. I shall not stop to prove that 
the whole body of the Ronnish priesthood has not always 
been composed of the holiest of men. Papists must prove 
that there never have been wicked priests, if they wish us 
to believe that the whole body of their pastors and teachers 
have been so fully endowed with the Holy Spirit as to ren- 
der it impossible that they should err in matters of faith; 
for we Protestants always judge of the tree by its fruits : 
we require our brethren to show us their faith by their works. 
The fallacy of the argunricnt contained in the Grds. of C. 
D. is easily exposed by a simple statement of facts. 

Unfortunately for the validity of this claim to infallibility, 
there is a wide discrepancy of opinion relative to the pre- 
cise quarter in which it is to be found. Some lodge this at- 
tribute with the Pope ; others ascribe it to the councils ; 
others to the Pope and councils combined ; and others say 
it is to be found in the church in her diffusive capacity. 

I will prove that infallibility belongs neither to the Pope, 
nor to the councils, nor to the Pope and councils, nor to the 
church in her diffusive capacity. 

1. We will begin with his Holiness. The Jesuits stoutly 
upheld the doctrine of the Pope's infallibility, in former 
days ; what they now think in relation to the question, is 
not so easily determined ; I believe they are not agreed 
among themselves. 

Pope Gregory I., who lived in the latter part of the sixth 
century, has left the following language on record : " I con- 
fidently affirm, that whosoever calls himself, or wishes to 
be called, Universal Bishop, is the forerunner of Anti- 
christ."* Was Gregory infallible? If so, the Pope is the 
forerunner of Antichrist. 

* See Gregory's Epis. Bk. vi. Letter 30. 



INFALLIBILITY. 31 

Pope Gelasius declared, most solemnly, that it was sacri- 
lege to administer the communion in only one kind — to give 
the bread to the laity, and withhold the cup. Was Gelasius 
infallible ? If so, the Church of Rome is guilty of sacri- 
lege. 

We learn from history, that, at one time, there were three 
rival Popes, all contending earnestly for Peter's chair ! 
Were they all infallible? And if not, which of them was? 
Benedict XIII., Gregory XII., and Alexander V., of happy 
memory, were each of them, at one and the same time, the 
supreme head of the church, and hurled their anathemas at 
one another, certainly not in apostolic style, inasmuch as 
Paul commands Christians " to bless and curse not." Were 
these three Popes all infallible ? If so, they were all ac- 
cursed. 

Moreover, they all consecrated bishops and created cardi- 
nals, and exercised their papal and ecclesiastical functions. 
Gregory constituted Gabriel Condolinero a cardinal. This 
man afterwards became Pope, and assumed the name of 
Eugenius IV. Our brethren often boast of their apostolic 
succession; but the line is wretchedly entangled here, and 
there is no other way of unravelling this mystery of ini- 
quity, but Alexander's short and easy method with the Gor- 
dian knot. Bui, alas I this cuts the Pope's infallibility in twain, 
and makes sad desolation in " the apostolic line of succes- 
sion." For the ordinations of these three rival Popes were 
all valid, de facto, and have, since their day, multiplied into 
many thousands, who have derived episcopacy and priest- 
hood, from at least two corrupt fountains. There is not a 
bishop or priest in Italy or France, or in America, that is 
infallibly sure that there is no flaw in his title.* But this is 

* For a detailed account of the •' scuffles" between the three 
Popes, see Hist, of Popery, 4to. Vol. I. pp. 182 — 185. London. 
1736. Also, Spittler's Geschichte des Pabstthums, p. 193. Hei- 
delberg, 1826. 



32 INFALLIBILITY. 

by no means the only schism in the infallible church. In the 
fourteenth century there was a fierce contest between popes 
and anti-popes, for fifty years. Boniface VIII., of blessed 
memory, in his " Unam Sanctam," a famous bull, which 
was revoked by Clemens V., (another infallible,) made 
it an article of faith, necessary to salvation, that the tempo- 
ral sovereignty of the Popes is above that of the kings. 
The following is given, as a part of the reasoning by which 
this article of faith was proved. " In principio deus creavit 
coelum et terram : (In the beginning God created the hea- 
vens and the earth.) It is not * in principiis,'' in the be- 
ginnings ; therefore, there is but one authority to govern the 
world. St. Peter said, * Here are two swords :' therefore 
the Pope, his successor, has two swords, that is, two powers. 
At the time of the deluge, there was but one ark, and one 
Noah, therefore, there is but one church, and one supreme 
head in the world. The powers that be are ordained of God, 
says St. Paul ; therefore the temporal power is subjected to 
the spiritual powers, that it may be ordained, or put in or- 
der. It belongs to the spiritual power to judge whether the 
temporal power does well or ill ; therefore it can suspend 
and transfer it. Kings as well as subjects are subjected to 
the power of chiefs ; for they belong to the flock. There- 
fore the Pope can depose them." Such is the reasoning, 
which pope Boniface VIII. published as pontifical oracles in 
the bull " Unam SanctamV^ 

Popish infallibility was fairly committed in the case of 
Galileo. Pope Urban and his learned inquisitors condemned 
the philosophy of the immortal astronomer in the following 
words. 1. " The proposition that the sun is the centre of 

* Court of Rome, p. 305. Philad. J. Whetham. 1837. This 
work is written by a Roman Catholic, a firm believer in the 
spiritual supremacy of the Pope. 



INFALLIBILITY. 33 

the world, and immoveable from its place, is absurd, philo- 
sophically false, and formally heretical, because expressly 
contrary to the Holy Scriptures. 2. The proposition that 
the earth is not the centre of the world, nor immoveable, but 
that it moves, and also has a diurnal motion, is also absurd, 
philosophically false, and, theologically, considered, at least 
erroneous in faith." Poor Galileo was constrained to choose 
between a recantation of his theory, or martyrdom to the first 
principles of astronomy. He chose the former as the less 
of two evils, and very gravely recanted upon his knees ; 
but, upon rising up, he whispered to one of his friends, 
" The earth moves yet though !" 

The following summary of the characters of different 
Popes, as described in history, may suffice to show that his 
Holiness has not always been infallible. 

Boniface VIII., Calixtus III., John X^J^III.;^ and Boniface 
IX., were notoriously covetous. Benu©t Xfl., Adrian IV., 
Celestine III., Innocent IV., Alexander III., Gregory XIII., 
Clement V., VI., and VII., Boniface VIII., Paul II., John 
XXIII., and many others, were proud as Lucifer. Indeed, 
who was not that ever wore the triple crown? Silvester III., 
and all his successors, for nine or ten Popes together, were 
professed conjurors. Those, who were abominably lewd 
and licentious, are too numerous to mention. Famous 
cheats were Alexander III., Boniface VIII., Celestine V., 
and Benedict X. Murderers were John XII., Gregory V., 
John XIII., Boniface VII., Benedict IX., Innocent III., &c. 
Many Popes were fomentors of discord and jealousies, 
which cost thousands of lives. Several Popes have been 
schismatics; two, and even three rivals having contended 
for the supreme authority at once. These schisms varied in 
duration, from two, six, seven, thirteen, sixteen, and twenty 
to thirty. nine years ; and, during these periods, their Holi- 
nesses cursed each other, and fought against each other; so 



34 INFALLIBILITY. 

that multitudes were sacrificed to their cruel ambition. 
These may appear hard sayings, but those who are ac- 
quainted with history, know that they are but too true. 

2. Where then shall we find this sacred deposit, which has 
been left in the care of the Church of Rome ? Some Roman- 
ists point us to the councils, and tell us we shall find it there. 
The council of Basil, I would premise, expressly decreed, 
that, "if once the pernicious error were admitted that coun- 
cils may err, the whole Catholic faith would totter." Let 
us bear this in mind, for I think we shall soon see, not only 
that councils may err, but that, themselves being witnesses, 
they have made very gross mistakes. I cannot discover 
that any accredited author in the Romish church has ever 
pretended that the councils were composed of men who 
could not possibly err in their individual and private capa- 
city. 

I confess I cannot see how one infallible is to be 
constituted out of five hundred fallibles : and I bless God, 
that my salvation does not depend upon my explaining this 
mystery. But, now for the facts. Roman Catholic writers 
reckon eighteen oecumenical or general councils, though 
they are not themselves agreed as to the exact number. A 
volume might be written on the contradictions and discre- 
pancies between them; some condemning what others ap- 
prove ; one council anathematizing its predecessor, and in 
turn anathematized by its successor. So that even suppos- 
ing the first oecumenical council, the Council of Nice, in 
325, to have been infallible, it would puzzle cardinal Bellar- 
mine himself to, determine, where this prerogative was to 
be found by the time that the last council convened at Trent, 
in 1545. 

Not to weary you by a prolix detail of the contradictory 
decrees of these councils, I will just appeal to the following 
well known historical facts. 



INPALLIBILITV. 35 

It is universally acknowledged that the Council of Elvira 
decided against the worship of images in the early part of 
the fourth century. This council strictly enjoined, that nei- 
ther paintings nor images, representing the person whom 
we adore, should be introduced into churches. Notwith- 
standing this interdict, images continued to be introduced. 
In the year 754 a council at Constantinople formally con- 
demned and forbade the practice ; yet this very council was 
declared to be illegitimate by the second Council of Nice, 
which met in 787, and ordained the adoration of images in 
unequivocal language. "I confess, and agree, and receive, 
and salute, and adore the unpolluted image of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ, our true God, and the holy image of the holy 
mother of God !" Contrast this edict with the decree of 
Pope Gregory the great) 200 years before; in which he says, 
" Omne manufactum adorari non licet — Adorari imagines 
omnibus modis, veia" " It is not lawful that any thing 
made with hands should be worshipped. By all means for- 
bid images to be worshipped." The decree authorizing im- 
age-worship was not suffered to remain undisputed, either 
in the west or east. It was reversed by one council in 794, 
and again by another in 814 ; and, in 842, it was re-enacted, 
and so on, until the councils had completely worn out all 
their claims to infallibility !* 

3. The next opinion is, that the Pope and General Coun- 
cil together are infaHible, i. e. When a General Council 
is called by the Pope, when he presides in it, either in per* 
son or by his legates, and when he confirms its decrees, 
then they are infallible. But, with preceding facts before us, 
it will be hard to understand how a fallible Pope, and a fal- 
lible council, can become infallible by their union. Two 
ciphers will not make a unit. Two wrongs will not make 

• See Faber's Difficulties of Romanism, pp. 41 — 43» 



3^ INFALLIBILITY. 

one right. Besides, if infallibility depends upon the con- 
junction and agreement of a Pope and General Council, the 
Church of Rome cannot be always in possession of it, be- 
cause she has not a General Council always in session* 
Just so soon as the council breaks up, and parts company 
with the Pope, infallibility is at an end. But, waiving this 
objection, if we turn to history, we can show you decrees of 
a General Council, confirmed and reversed by the same 
Pope; we find Popes confirming decrees acknowledged to bo 
directly opposite to Scripture. The Council of Constance de- 
creed. Pope Martin V. coinciding, that the laity should receive 
the communion in one kind only, and yet acknowledged that 
Christ instituted it in both kinds. The Council of Trent, 
confirmed by Pope Pius IV., decreed that service should be 
performed in the Latin (i. e. an unknown) tongue, in direct 
contradiction to St. Paul, who asks, " Except ye utter by 
the tongue, words easy to be understood, how shall it be 
known what is spoken ? For ye shall speak into the air." 
Now I do not believe that there is any passage in the Bible, 
or the Rhemish Testament, by which it can be satisfactorily 
shown that Paul's opinion was to be considered good authority 
only until Pius IV. and the Council of Trent should decree to 
the contrary ; and, therefore, as Paul certainly was infalli- 
ble in matters of doctrine, and the Pope and council differ 
from the apostle, T shall adhere to Paul's view, the bishops 
and doctors of Trent, to the contrary, notwithstanding. 

4. Another opinion is, that infallibility resides only in the 
Church Universal ; i. e. in the whole body of the Ro- 
man Catholic church, wherever diffused. So that, although 
neither the Pope nor councils, whether separately or con* 
jointly, may be considered infallible, yet when their decrees 
are acknowledged by the whole Roman church, they are 
then to be regarded as of indisputable authority. This 



INFALLIBILITY. 37 

opinion has enjoyed the favour of some of the greatest and 
most learned men of the Romish church. 

If all that is asserted were simply that the Christian 
Church Universal, and every member of it, cannot err in 
matters absolutely necessary for salvation, I do not see that 
Protestants need object to the claim. Though, when we ad- 
mit this, we do so, not because the individual members of 
the Christian church are infallible, but because our Saviour 
has promised to maintain a church to the end of the world ; 
and has declared, that the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it; and because those who err in any thing that is 
essential to salvation, by that very error, cease to be mem- 
bers of the church of Christ. This, however, will not an- 
swer the purposes of the Romanists. They claim infalli- 
bility, because, in their opinion, it is absolutely necessary 
that there should be an unerring interpreter of Scripture, and 
judge of controversies, to whom we may have recourse in 
all emergencies. (This plea I shall consider presently.) Is 
the universal church such an interpreter? If it is, then all 
the members of the church of Christ, out of all kindreds, 
and nations, and tongues, and people, must meet in solemn 
conclave, whenever any new question of doctrine or practice 
is to be decided. Do not tell us they can delegate their 
infallibility to representatives, who may assemble in gene- 
ral council. That has been tried, and the experiment has 
been unsuccessful. 

I repeat it then. If infallibility is the prerogative of the 
Roman Church, in its diffusive capacity, before any deci- 
sion relative to doctrines or morals can be given, there must 
be a general assembly of all the faithful ; and, until the con- 
sent of at least a majority of the members of Holy Church 
has been obtained, the decree, on their own terms, can 
challenge neither their assent nor ours. 

I have now reviewed the four different opinions which 
4 



33 INFALLIBILITY. 

obtain, or have obtained in the Romish church relative to 
infallibility. And here I might dismiss the subject, were it 
not that an appeal is made to the Scriptures. From this 
test no Protestant wishes to shrink. *' To the law and the 
testimony," is our watchword ; " if they speak not accord- 
ing to this word, it is because there is no light in them." 
Show us the plain texts of Scripture — give us the words of 
the blessed Jesus himself, assuring us that the true church 
is infallible, and that the Romish church is the true one, 
and every honest believer in God's word will give 
up the point. Before I attempt an examination of the 
Scriptures upon which this doctrine is professedly reared, 
I must say that it is very hard to believe our Saviour 
should give promises to his church tl>at can do it no good. 
For surely it is plain the church is none the better for its 
infallibility, if nobody can tell who has it. To appoint an 
infallible interpreter is of no use, unless you know who the 
interpreter is, and where you are to find him. Besides, in 
order to establish from Scripture their claim to infallibility, 
it is absolutely necessary for Papists to beg the question — 
argue in a vicious circle, i. e. take for granted the very 
thing they want to prove. Ask thera, " How do you know 
from Scripture, or from fair inference from it, that your 
church is infallible?" The answer of course is, "The 
church has so interpreted the word of God." " Well, but 
why am I bound to believe your interpretation ?" " Because 
the church is infallible !" Can any thing be more ridiculous 1 
On the same principles I can prove that /am infallible, and 
that no body is so beside myself; and I can prove it from 
Scripture too. 

Cardinal Bellarmine. of no mean authority among 
Romanists, quotes in proof of the Pope's infallibility, those 
words of the Saviour to Peter, — "Simon, Simon, behold 
Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as 



INFALLIBILITY. 39 

wheat ; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, 
and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." 
Bellarmine tells us that the true meaning of this text is, that 
our Lord obtained two privileges for Peter: 1st, That he 
himself, however strongly tempted by the devil, should 
never lose true faith. 2d, That neither Peter as pontiff of 
Rome, nor any other of his successors in that See, should 
ever teach any thing contrary to the true faith. On what 
principles of exegesis these two doctrines are contained in 
the text, it would puzzle the Pope himself to determine. How- 
ever, the Cardinal finds them there, and says, moreover, 
"The first of these privileges did not, it may be, descend to 
Peter's successors ; but the second doubtless did. In other 
words : Peter's successors might lose true faith, and conse- 
quently lose their souls and perish eternally ; but it is im- 
possible that they should make a mistake in any doctrine 
or decree issued ex cathedra. All the proof that the learned 
Cardinal adduces that this is the true meaning of the Scrip- 
tures is, that seven Popes have said so ! Seven Popes have 
said so! Rome has spoken, the controversy is decided ! 
The Saviour's meaning is, I think, somewhat diflferent from 
that which Cardinal Bellarmine supposes. 

The time was at hand when the Lord Jesus was to be be- 
trayed into the hands of his enemies- He knew that this 
would be a sore trial of the faith of his disciples. He knew 
the bold impetuosity of Peter, and foresaw the fearful over- 
throw to which the self-confidence of his disciple would ex- 
pose him; therefore, he addresses himself to Peter as the 
person who was most in danger. All the disciples needed 
our Lord's prayers upon this occasion, and no doubt he 
prayed for them all ; but Peter's case was far the most 
urgent, as the sequel showed, and as the Saviour knew, and 
therefore he prayed for him especially that his faith might 
not fail. How this passage can be honestly applied to the 



40 INFALLIBILITY. 

Popes, I cannot conceive ; and how it can prove that Peter*s 
successors were all to be infallible, poses my judgnnent com- 
pletely. Any reader of common sense knows that these 
words were addressed to Peter in allusion to the fearful per- 
jury of which lie so soon became guilty. They must be 
doctors of very great acuteness who can find in the words 
addressed to Peter, relative to his fall, a proof of his infalli- 
bility, and they must be very acute indeed who can discover in 
them satisfactory evidence of the infallibility of every Pope, 
who sits in Peter's chair. But suppose it were even so. Take 
for granted that the Cardinal's interpretation is correct, and 
that we have Scripture to prove the infallibility of Peter and his 
successors, I would ask, why are not the successors of Peter 
at Antioch infallible as well as those at Rome? You know 
Peter was bishop of a church at Antioch seven years before 
he was bishop at Rome. Ah ! if you were to put infalli- 
bility at Antioch, you would spoil every thing. Keep it at 
Rome; it belongs there ; and so the less we say about Antioch 
the better ! I will only add, that if the infallibility of Peter 
and his pretended successors is assured to us by the Saviour's 
prayer that Peter's faith might not fail, then every man 
whose faith fails not must be infallible. " But," says the 
Roman Catholic, " be so kind as to read Matt. xvi. 18." 
Here it is : " And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and 
upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell 
shall not prevail against it." Does this prove Peter's infalli- 
bility, even supposing Peter to be the rock on which the 
church is built ? Read a few verses farther. " Then Pe- 
ter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, be it far from 
thee. Lord ; this shall not be unto thee. But he turned and 
said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an 
offence unto me; for thou savorest not the things that be of 
God," &c. Was Peter infallible ? 

Among the many texts of Scripture quoted by Romanists, 



INFALLIBILITY. 41 

some are adduced as proofs ofthe infeUibility of the Pope, e. g. 
"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock," &c. "And I will 
give unto thee the keys of the kingdonn of heaven," &c. 
" Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired," &c.* Other scriptures 
are understood as conferring this important attribute upon 
councils. " He that heareth you hearelh me, and he that 
despiseth you, despiseth me." " Where two or three," &;c. 
" Lo ! I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." 
Then, again, there are texts to prove the infallibility of the 
church universal. " If he neglect to hear the church, let 
him be to thee as a heathen man and a publican." " The 
church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the 
truth," (fee. &c. Now I cannot find any thing in any one 
of these texts, nor in the context, which gives the least 
shade of plausibility to the arrogant claim which the Romish 
church rests upon them. But as it would take loo much 
time to go over each one of them separately, I am willing 
for argument's sake to let their proofs pass for all that they 
think them worth, and what is the result ? Some of these 
texts prove the Pope to be alone infallible. Others prove 
that a general council is infallible. And others, again, that 
the church universal has this prerogative ; and all these con- 
tradictory propositions must be true if the Scriptures, which 
they quote, are to the purpose. Now I apprehend this 
proves more than Romanists want ; it gives them a great 
deal more infallibility than they know what to do with. 

I come now to the last great argument, the big gun in the 
battery of infallibility. I will state their strong reason as 
forcibly as I can. " Must it not be horrid impiety to sup- 
pose that divine Providence has so little concern for the 
cause of truth ; and the blessed Jesus so little care for the 
welfare of the church, as to have left no certain, infallible 

* Matt. xvi. 18. Luke xxii. 31, 32. 

4* 



42 INFALLIBILITY. 

method of deciding all controversies, and coming at truth 
and the real sense of Scripture? If the church is not a 
visible and infallible tribunal, always competent to settle 
differences, what must become of her, and what must be- 
come of truth? Will not a thousand heresies be broached 
that will tear out her very bowels, rend in pieces the seam- 
less coat of Christ, and hold up the tattered fragments 
of the Saviour's robe as the standards of orthodoxy ? Thus 
we have Episcopalians, (though they are not so bad as other 
heretics,) Lutherans and Reformed, Presbyterians, old and 
new, and Baptists, and Methodists, and Hernnhuters, and 
a hundred sects besides, which we cannot enumerate. 
There must be somewhere a judge to pronounce and decide. 
Protestant heretics cry out with Isaiah, ' To the law and to 
the testimony 1' ' To the law and to the testimony 1' But 
Scripture is so far from ending controversies, that it is well 
known to have been the occasion of them. There is not a 
heretic but quotes it, and endeavours to impose upon weak 
minds by his false glosses. In many instances, the sense 
is so obscure and doubtful, that the interpretation which 
heretics give of it seems as plausible as that which the 
church herself affixes. It is plain, therefore, there must be 
a living, speaking judge to interpret the dead letter of Scrip- 
ture; a judge from whose decision there can be no appeal!" 
This is the grand argument, the strong prop of infallibility. 
It amounts to this ; that that " God, who, at sundry times and 
in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by 
the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his 
Son," in so unintelligible a manner, that no Scripture can 
be properly understood except by the successors of Peter, 
and the unerring councils of the Romish church ! There 
must be an infallible interpreter of Scripture, and that inter- 
preter is the church of Rome ! Protestants are inquisitive, 
you know, so permit me to ask, "Who says that these 



INFALLIBILITY. ' 43 

ihitiQs must be so?" Has the Lord Jesus Christ said so? 
No ! Has John asserted it ? Never ! Has James or Paul 
or Peter, or any one of the apostles left it on record ? No ! 
Is there any passage in the Old or New Testament, that 
explicitly confers this authority upon the church ? There 
is not. Where then do you find it? In the canons of the 
Council of Trent ! and lest any man should still be faithless, 
let him remember that all who do not believe in these canons, 
were anathematized by acclamation at the close of this in- 
fallible council ! 

That is hard, to be sure ; but heretics are so accustomed 
to anathemas, that they cannot or will not see much force 
in such arguments. But, I am asked, did you not tell 
us a moment ago, that there was no text in the Bible 
which condemned the private interpretation of Scripture? 
I did. What do you make then of the passage which says, 
" No Scripture is of any private interpretation?" Indeed, 
I never met with such a text. I have heard it quoted, 
but if I were to be burned at the stake to-morrow for the 
failure, I could not find it. I will read what I do find, how- 
ever, 2 Pet. i. 19 — 21. I will quote the passage as 1 find 
it in the Rhemish Testament, " And we have the propheti- 
cal word more sure : which you do well attending unto, as 
to a candle shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and 
the day-star arise in your hearts. Understanding this first, 
that no prophecy of Scripture is made by private interpre- 
tation." 

This shows merely that the prophets were inspired by the 
Holy Ghost, and has nothing to do with the question of the 
church of Rome's infallibility as an interpreter of Scripture. 
Where then, I ask again, is the warrant for this proud claim? 
I am sure it is not in the Bible ! But though reason and 
Scripture are against it, the church of Rome cannot let go 
this arrogant assumption without losing her hold upon the 



44 INFALLIBILITY. 

consciences whom she binds and looses at her pleasure, and 
therefore, she says " there must be an infallible interpreter 
of Scripture, and I am that interpreter." God has not said 
so; but here the Man of Sin rises up, exalts himself above 
God, and dictates to the Almighty, chiding him for his neg- 
lect, and rectifying and supplying the mistakes and omis- 
sions of Omniscience ! 

But, farther. I deny the necessity of any such judge, 
to determine all controversies in religion, because it is not 
necessary that all such controversies should be decided 
There are a great many disputed points, upon which honest 
and holy men can and do differ, without affecting either 
their interest in the favour of God, or the peace of the church. 
I can love my Baptist, and Methodist, and Episcopal, and 
Lutheran, and Moravian brethren, with a pure heart, fer- 
vently, though there are minor points on which I would dif- 
fer from them all. 

Moreover, such a judge of controversy, if it existed, 
and even if its claims were allowed, could not prevent 
heresy. In their statements of doctrine, the apostles, of 
course, were infallible ; yet heresies sprang up in their day. 
They could not err, because they were inspired by the Spi- 
rit of Truth ; but this freedom from error extended only to 
matters of doctrine; for we find Paul rebuking Peter sharply, 
on a certain occasion, because he was to be blamed. Gal. ii. 
11, &c. 

There were divisions among the Corinthians, after all the 
pains that Paul took to reconcile them. And, even in the 
church of Rome, where infallibility flourishes in perfection, 
there are divisions, and sects more numerous than in the 
Protestant church. The Protestant church constitutes but 
one society, though there are different denominations. We 
acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Head. He is the invisible 
Head of his Church Universal. Romanists claim the Pope 



INFALLIBILITY. 45 

as their Head ; and, as he is a visible Head, there is, nomi- 
nally, more unity in their church than among Protestants ; 
but, really, there is a great deal less. There has been more 
difference between the Jesuits, and the Jansenists, and the dif- 
ferent orders of monks, "white, black and gray, with all 
their trumpery," than between any Protestant denominations 
on earth. 

Finally. There is no need of such an infallible judge, be- 
cause the Lord God of heaven has promised the assistance 
of the Holy Spirit to all sincere inquirers after truth. " If 
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth 
liberally to all men, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given 
him." This single text settles the whole controversy. God 
has promised to direct every one into the way of truth, who 
seeks counsel of him. It is his prerogative to govern the 
mind of man, and he will not give his honour to the Pope 
or to any other. 

Brethren, if infallibility were an attribute of the church 
of Rome, she would long since have found out an infallible 
method for inducins: the world to li.sten to her decisions. 
She has practised methods, however, which have not suc- 
ceeded. She has censured, cursed, imprisoned, banished, 
tortured, committed to the flames, and doomed to hell and 
damnation, those who have questioned her authority; but, 
blessed be God, neither the gates of hell, nor of Rome, have 
prevailed against the church of the Living God ! And they 
never shall, for the church of Christ is founded, not upon 
Peter, not upon a rolling stone, but upon the Rock of Ages ! 
"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which 
is Christ Jesus." Upon this foundation, let me beseech my 
dear hearers to build. 1 entreat you, ye builders for eternity, 
look well to the foundation which you lay. There is a day 
of trial coming ; even now, the floods of death and of eter- 
nity are ready to roll in upon you ! Let the winds blow, 



46 INFALLIBILITY. 

and the rains descend, and the floods come, and beat upon 
the house that is reared upon the Rock Christ Jesus; it will 
not fall; its inmates are safe; they can smile upon the an- 
gry surge, and calmly look down upon the foaming waves 
as they dash their spray upon the Rock ! But, oh ! dear 
hearer, alas ! for you, whose building rests upon the sand ! 
Soon your sky will be mantled with the clouds of death, 
and the storm will burst with awful fury above your head. 
Then you will need a shelter; and you will fly to your re- 
fuge ! It may be a tower so lofty that its top pierces the 
clouds ; and you may think, because it is so high, it cannot 
fall. But the floods will gather round it ; they will beat 
upon its walls ; the rains will descend ; the winds will blow 
with angry blasts. The house that is not founded on this 
Rock will be utterly destroyed ; it will fall, and great will be 
the fall thereof! 



LECTURE 11. 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 
Matt. xxvi. 26—29. 

" AND, AS THEY WERE EATING, JESUS TOOK BREAD AND BLESSED 
IT, AND BRAKE IT, AND GAVE IT TO THE DISCIPLES, AND SAID, 
TAKE, EAT ; THIS IS MY BODY. AND HE TOOK THE CUP, AND 
GAVE THANKS, AND GAVE IT TO THEM, SAYING, DRINK YE ALL 
OF IT," &C. 

I NEED scarcely, at this time, dwell particularly upon the 
interpretation which is given, by the Protestant church, to 
these words of the Saviour. My object, at present, is to 
inquire into the meaning which the church of Rome affixes 
to them ; and, in discussing this subject, I hope to convince 
every intelligent and honest hearer, that the doctrine of the 
real substantial presence of the body and blood, soul 
and divinity of Jesus Christ, in this sacrament, is the first- 
born of absurdities. 

The circumstances under which this ordinance was insti- 
tuted, I need not now review. I presume all my hearers 
know, that this memorial feast was appointed when the 
blessed Saviour was about to offer himself a sacrifice on the 
cross ; and by this one sacrifice, which never has been, or 
can be repeated, to reconcile to God the whole world of be- 
lievers. 

Before I examine the doctrine of transubstantiation, I wiU 



48 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

read the first canon under the head of " The Holy Sacra- 
ment of the Eucharist," in the acts of the Council of Trent.* 
" If any one shall deny that, in the most holy sacrament of 
the Eucharist, there are contained, truly, really, and substan- 
tially, the body and blood, together with the soul and divi- 
nity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore the whole 
Christ; or say that he is in it only as a sign, or figure, or 
by his influence, let him be accursed." " If any one shall 
deny that, in the adorable sacrament of the Eucharist, a se- 
paration being made, the whole Christ is contained in each 
element or species, and in the separate parts of each ele- 
ment or species, let him be accursed." According to this, 
every wafer which a Romish priest consecrates, with the 
proper intention, becomes the body and blood, soul and di- 
vinity of Christ, or becomes Christ, the whole Christ, there- 
fore God ! Nor is this all. If that wafer be divided into 
one thousand parts, and each one of these parts be again 
subdivided, and so on, ad infinitum, every one of these wa- 
fer particles is the whole Christ, is God ; and whoever doubts 
this, is accursed ! If this be true, Romanists are not guilty 
of idolatry, when they bow down and worship the host, (or 
consecrated wafer,) because it is no longer a wafer, but, by 
the wonder-working power of the priest, has become God. 
If this be not true, then the Papist is guilty of the very 
grossest idolatry. 

* Si quis neg-averit in sanctissimse Eucharistiae Sacramento con- 
tineri vere, realiter et substantialiter corpus et sang-uinem una 
cum anima et divinitate Domini nostri Jesu Christi, ac proinde 
totum Christum: sed dixerit tantummodo esse in eo utin signo, 
vel figur^, aut virtute ; anathema sit. 

Si quis neg-averit in venerabili Sacramento Eucharistiae sub 
una quaque specie, et sub singulis, cujusque speciei partibus, se- 
paratione facta, totum Christum contineri ; anathema sit. — Con- 
cil. Trid. Sess. xiii. cap. 8. Canon 1 and 3. 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 49 

Among Protestants, and such as are not willing to sur- 
render the use and testimony of their senses to a ghostly- 
father, it is not considered necessary to expose the monstrous 
absurdity of this doctrine, by serious argument. The mere 
statement is sufficient. However, there are some who pro- 
fess to believe it. Every Roman priest declares, under so- 
lemn oath, that he believes it ; and all the faithful in the Po- 
pish church are commanded to believe it. And whoever 
doubts or denies the doctrine, is accursed ; i. e., in so far as 
the anathema of the Council of Trent avails. 

In discussing my subject, I shall prove the following 
points. 

I. TrANSUBSTANTIATION is CO^fTRARY TO REASON. 

II. It is CONTRARY TO ScRIPTURE. 

III. It is contrary to the testimony of the fathers 
OF the ancient church. 

IV. Roman Catholics, themselves, probably do not 
believe it now. 

However, I have no doubt many of them really think that 
they do believe it. 

I. I am aware, my brethren, that I shall be met at the 
very threshold with the question. What ! are we to believe 
nothing that is beyond the ken of reason ? If so, where is 
the use of revelation ? If reason is enough, then surel}^ 
the church of Rome is justified in reprobating the free cir- 
culation of the Bible, which is all matter of revelation. 
Will my hearers remember that I say, not " Transubstantia- 
tion is above and beyond the reach of reason, and therefore 
I reject it ;" but " it is contrary to reason." I believe 
many things that are above reason. I cannot understand 
the nature of the union between my soul and body,- but J, 
nevertheless, believe it. I cannot understand how it is, 
that if a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, there 
appears presently the green blade, and, anon, the ear, and, 
5 



50 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

at last, the full corn in the ear ; yet I believe it. These 
things, however mysterious, are not contrary to reason. 
When I say, that this doctrine is absurd, I mean something 
totally difTerenl from its being mysterious, and transcending 
the comprehension of the human intellect. 

Were this the whole objection, 1 should consider the cha- 
racter of mystery as a strong argument in its favour, pro- 
vided it exhibited the other marks of a divine origin. Hu- 
man reason stands in the attitude of contradiction to that 
which it sees to be false; not to that whose magnitude eludes 
its grasp, and whose existence cannot be denied, although 
its mode is incomprehensible. 

By reason, I mean that intellectual power by which we 
apprehend and discover truth, whether contained in first 
principles of belief, or in the arguments and conclusions 
from those principles by which truth, not intuitive, is inves- 
tigated. This faculty is the production of the Almighty ; 
without it, revelation would be useless ; and, as God cannot 
contradict himself, there can be nothing in revelation which 
stands opposed to those first principles of eternal truth, 
which God has written upon the mind of every intelligent 
creature. 

1. One of these jirst principles is, that we are not to 
believe what is clearly contrary to the evidence of our 
senses. The evidence of the senses is, I am sufficiently 
aware, one of the least certain means of arriving at truth. 
We have all heard of optical delusions and of the tricks of 
jugglers, if we have not all witnessed them, and we do not 
believe that men can really eat fire or swallow poison with 
impunity, though we cannot explain or detect the slight of 
hand and hocus pocus operation by which they seem to 
perform these feats or any others ! In this case, how- 
ever clear the evidence of our senses might be, we should 
distrust their testimony because we know the thing is, in its 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 51 

very nature, impossible. The case before us, however, is • 
different. The priests do not first effect an optical delusion, ' 
and then ask us to give up the evidence of our senses ; they 
do not make the elements assume the form, the real appear- 
ance of the whole Christ, and present, by their magical in- 
fluence, as many Saviours of the world as they have wafers, 
and then bid us believe, because we see ; but the church of 
Rome commands me to believe that that wafer, after the 
pronunciation of the mystic words, " lioc est corpus meum^'' 
is really transformed into the body and blood, soul and 
divinity of Jesus Christ, is in short the real and entire 
Saviour, though my sight tells me it is a wafer still, and 
my touch tells me it is a wafer still, and my taste corrobo- 
rates this testimony, and pronounces it to be a wafer still ! 
As to the wine, the laity of that church have nothing to do 
with it, the priests " drink all of it," and declare they believe 
it to be blood, though taste and smell and sight are all 
against them .' Now, if I admit this change in the nature 
of the elements, though my senses contradict me, how can 
I be sure of any thing which depends upon their evidence] 
If my senses have deceived me in relation to the bread and 
wine in this sacrament, they may deceive me in any and in 
every other case. If I have been eating the body and 
blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, whilst my senses 
of sight and smell, taste and touch, declare that I have 
eaten nothing but bread, how can I be sure that I am not 
under some fearful delusion, when I think I am eating an 
ordinary meal ? If I discard the evidence of my senses, 
how am I to be sure that I am alive? I must become a 
Pyrrhonist, and join the ranks of those philosophers, or 
rather, madmen, who made it a matter of conscience to 
doubt their own existence ! But here the question, which 
has often been put by Romanists, may be suggested again 
to some mind, "Did not Christ turn water into wine]" 



52 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. . 

Unquestionably he did. " Why, then, may he not now 
turn wine into blood 1" He certainly can do so now, there 
is nothing more diOicult in the latter case, than in the for- 
mer. But now let me answer your question by another. 
" When Christ turned the water into wine did it look like 
water after the change'? Did it taste like water?" No. 
You remember the guests told the good man of the house 
that it was the best wine that had been produced at the 
feast ! So when Moses, at the command of God, turned 
the rivers of Egypt into blood, the water was changed in its 
appearance and in its very nature too, and the evidence of 
this was, that all the fishes that were in those streams died, 
and the rivers became so corrupt as to threaten a pestilence! 
When the Saviour and the apostles performed miracles, 
they did not ask their hearers to give up the evidence of 
their senses, and to believe what they could see and hear 
and feel to be false. If, when the paralytic was brought to 
Jesus, the Saviour had merely said, " Arise, take up thy 
bed and walk," and had left the man upon his bed a cripple 
still, he would scarcely have established his divinity by such 
a miracle, even though he had repeated it a thousand tin>es. 
In order to prove the reality of his resurrection, our Lord 
appeals to the senses of his disciples, " Behold my hands 
and my feet, handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh 
and bones, as you see me have : and when he had thus 
spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet." And 
what means did he employ to convince the still hesitating 
Thomas? " Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hand; 
reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side, and be not 
faithless, but believing." This was the Saviour's mode. 

Our Roman Catholic friends attach great weight to the 
testimony of the ancient fathers of the church. Tertullian, 
speaking of the degree of importance to be ascribed to the 
evidence of our senses, uses the following language. He 
says : 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 53 

** We must not call our senses in question, lest we should 
doubt respecting their fidelity even in the case of Christ 
himself. Because if we question the fidelity of our senses, 
we might peradvenlure be led to say, that Christ delusively 
beheld Satan precipitated from heaven, or delusively heard 
the voice of his Father testifying of him, or was deceived 
when he touched Peter's mother-in-lav/, or smelt a difTerent 
-odour of the ointment, which he received for his sepulture, 
or tasted a different flavour of the wine which he conse- 
crated IN MEMORY OF HIS OWN BLOOD."* 

Let the Romish priests produce a change in the appear- 
ance and nature of the elements, and give us ocular demon- 
stration that their wafer becomes God incarnate whenever 
they choose to say over it, with the proper intention, " hoc 
est corpus meum," and I will vouch Tor it, they will soon 
turn the world upside down, and every Protestant will be- 
come a firm believer in transubstantiation. 

2. Another contradiction involved in this doctrine is, 
that whilst the Eucharist is called a Sacrament, transub- 
stantiation overthrows the nature of a Sacrament. " What 
is a Sacrament 1 An institution of Christ, consisting in some 
outward sign or ceremony. "f Can a thing be at once a 
sign, and the thing signified by it? If transubstantiation is 
true, then it can. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a 
commemorative rite. The Saviour tells us, " Do this in re- 
membrance of me." Can a transaction commemorate 
itself? If transubstantiation is true, then the Lord's Supper 
is not a Sacrament. It is not a sign, if it is the thing 
signified. If the bread and wine are changed into the body 
and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, they can no longer 
be called symbols or representations; they are the body and 

* Tert. de Anim. in cap. de quinque sens. oper. 
t Grds. C. D., p, 32. 

5* 



54 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 



blood, and not symbols. The absurdity of the position, 
that a thing may be at the same time a sign and the thing 
signified, may easily be illustrated. Among the Persians 
the idol Mithras was a symbol of the sun. Hence, on the 
principle that a symbol or image of a thing may be at once 
both the representation of the thing in question, and yet the 
identical thing itself, the idol, is, at once, both a symbol of 
the sun, and the literal identical sun which it symbolizes. 
Hagar, as we learn from St. Paul, allegorically represented 
Mount Sinai in Arabia. Therefore, if we adopt the Romish 
principle, Hagar was not only a symbol of Mount Sinai, 
but the proper identical mountain itself. " The consecrated 
"vvine," says Clement of Alexandria, " represents the blood 
of Christ."* Therefore, on the same principle, the wine is 
both the symbol of Christ's blood, and the identical blood 
itself! If the principle holds good in this case, it must 
obtain in the others. 

3. The doctrine of Transuhsfantiation involves a mathe- 
matical impossibility. According to this doctrine, when- 
ever the words of consecration are pronounced, the elements 
become the real body and blood of Christ in the very place 
where they were consecrated, although Christ remains at 
the right hand of the Father in heaven. And remember, 
it is not only in two places that this entire body must be at 
one and the same time, but in places without number. 
Wherever the sacramental rite is performed, in the cloisters 
of Italy, in the cathedrals of Austria, throughout all Europe, 
in the cities and towns of America, and wherever in the 
wide world any of the faithful are to be found ; in the cham- 
ber of the dying, in the cell of the recluse, in the dungeons 
of the convent, wherever the consecrated wafer is exhibited, 
there is always present the whole body of the Redeemer ! 

* Clem. Alex. Paedag*. lib. 2. c. 2. p. 158. 



i 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 55 

Now, the essential properties of body must belong to the 
body of the Saviour, or it ceases to be body, and all the 
comfort which the believer derives from the resurrection and 
ascension of the blessed Redeemer, is taken from him. But 
it is one of the first and most undeniable axioms of truth,' 
that no material substance can be at the same moment in 
more than one place ; and to this law the body of the 
Saviour must be subject. By his Spirit, he still pervades 
all things, and upholds all things by the word of his power; 
but as the risen and exalted Head of his Church, he is 
bodily in heaven and there only. But, I am asked, " Will 
you dare to impugn or limit the omnipotence of God? Are 
not all things possible with God ?" I answer, every thing 
is possible with God, that is not contrary to his nature. 
" But cannot God work a miracle?" He can. But this is 
not a miracle, it is an absurdity, a contradiction. God can- 
not deny himself, and it is impious to suppose that he would 
do so. This insult cast upon the divine attributes proceeds 
from them who boldly represent him as doing what would 
be contradictory to his nature, in order to support a mon- 
strous figment of their own creation ! Contradictions des- 
troy themselves, and are equivalent in their result to nothing 
at all. If, then, we ascribe to the omnipotence of God, the 
power of working contradictions, we dignify his omnipoi 
tence by saying that He is able to do what amounts to absoi 
lutely nothing. 

Now, the doctrine of transubslantiation plainly involves 
interminable contradictions, e. g. It supposes the bread to 
be turned into the broken body of Christ, when he himself 
was present with his disciples, and his body was not yet 
broken. For if a popish priest can, by merely pronouncing 
the words "hoc est corpus meum," turn the wafer and wine 
into the real body and blood of Christ, then surely, on their 
own principles, Christ's pronouncing them would certainly 



gg TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

have eflfected it, for this was the leading instance to all the 
rest. Well, then, here was his natural body entire and 
whole before their eyes; he took up the bread, and spoke 
these words, " This is my body," when lo ! the bread be- 
came his broken body ! So he had two distinct bodies at 
the same time, one entire and the other broken ! Is it not 
remarkable that not a single expression of surprise is re- 
corded as having dropped from any one of the disciples 
when they beheld this most marvellous of all miracles? 
But, my brethren, I shall not follow out the train of palpable 
absurdities involved in this irrational and monstrous doctrine. 
Enough, I presume, has been said to prove that it is con- 
trary to reason. I proceed to show, 

II. Transubstantiation is contrary to Scripture* In 
this branch of my subject, I will first consider those texts 
which are quoted by Roman Catholics in favour of their 
doctrine, and in the next place I will produce texts which 
are directly opposed to it. 

The Scripture proofs adduced in the Grds. of C. D. are 
the following, (p. 41.) 

1. Matt. xxvi. 26. "As they were eating, Jesus took 
bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples 
and said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, 
and gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, drink ye all 
of it, for this is my blood of the New Testament which is 
shed for many for the remission of sins." Mark xiv. 22, 
24. " Take, eat, this is my body. This is my blood of the 
New Testament, which was shed for many." Luke xxii. 
19. •" This is my body which is given for you; this do 
in remembrance of me. This cup is shed for you." 1 Cor. 
xi. 24, 25. "Take, eat; this is my body which is broken 
for you. This cup is the New Testament in my blood." 
To these quotations, the following note is appended: 
»' Which words of Christ, repeated in so many places, can- 



TRANSaBSTANTIATION. 57 

not be verified without offering violence to the text any other 
way than by a real change of the bread and wine into his 
body and blood." 

In the abstract, the expressions " this is my body," and 
"this is my blood," are doubtless capable of the literal as 
well as the figurative construction. Hence the only fair 
test by which this passage may be examined, is that of 
general analogy; and I shall, therefore, inquire whelher, on 
any legitimate ground, the Romish exposition can consist- 
ently be admitted. The Bible abounds with expressions 
which are, by common consent, regarded as metaphorical, e.g. 
" The Lord God is a sun and a shield." Again, the Lord 
is said to be "a Rock," a" Fortress," &c. (Ps. Ixxxiv. 11.) 
Jesus says, " I am the true vine." Again, he says, " I am 
the door ;" and again he tells us, *' I am the way." Now 
we consider these as strictly analogous to the expressions, 
" This is my body, and this is my blood." If you insist 
upon the literal construction of these last words, I cannot 
see why we should not understand the others literally also. 
If you tell us that Christ says emphatically, ^^ This is my 
hodyy I reply, Paul just as emphatically says, " That Rock 
was Christ." 

But even on their own terms, our Latin friends are in- 
volved in a difficulty. If they understand these words lite- 
rally, then in order to be consistent, they must repudiate 
every thing figurative in the words of institution. Let us 
read the 27th verse, " He took the cup, and gave thanks, 
and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it." All of 
what? All the wine, to be sure ! But there is not a word 
said about wine here. " He took the cvp and said, Drink 
ye all of it," Those who insist upon the literal interpreta- 
tion, must swallow the cvp. "For this (the cup,) is my 
blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for 
the remission of sins." Now, abandoning all figurative 



58 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

construction, it must be plain to every man of common 
sense, that it is not the wine, but the cup which must be 
turned into the real blood of Christ! Here then is a dilem- 
ma, from which I cannot see any possibility of escape. The 
figurative explanation must either be adopted, or else the 
literal one must be consistently carried out. If you under- 
stand our Lord's language to have been metaphorical, you 
give up the doctrine of iransubstantiation ! If you adopt the 
literal interpretation, then you must swallow the cup entire 
as it is, for it is the cup of which Jesus says, " This is my 
blood of the New Testament," &c. Let our friends choose 
whichever horn of the dilemma they prefer. But if we read 
the following verse, (29th,) I think that will throw still 
more light upon the subject. "I say unto you, I will not 
drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day 
when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." 
I was somewhat curious to know what Pope Pius 4th, or his 
commentator, would say concerning these words of the 
Saviour, which are in immediate and necessary connexion 
with the preceding verses, and I discovered, upon again ex- 
amining the Grds. of C. D., that the commentator had given 
proof of very great discretion, for which I must accord him 
all the credit he deserves. He says nothing at all about it. 
He does not quote the text itself neither does he even re- 
motely refer to it, and for the very sufficient reason, that it 
subverts the whole theory of the real presence. " I say 
unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the 
vineJ"* Here we have our Lord's own explanation of his 
own language. The liquor which he had called his blood 
he still denominates, after consecration, " this fruit of the 
vine." Now, if the liquor after consecration, was still the 
" fruit of the vine," I cannot comprehend how it should 

* Doway Bible, Matt. xxvi. 29. 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 59 

have been literal human blood. I proceed with the quota- 
tions from Scripture adduced by Romanists. 

*' 1 Cor. X. 16. ' The cup of blessing which we bless, 
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread 
which we break, is it not the communion of the body of 
Christ?' Which interrogation of the apostle is certainly 
equivalent to an affirmation, and evidently declares that in 
the blessed sacrament, we really receive the body and blood 
of Christ." 

I think it evidently declares just the contrary. Paul says, 
the " bread which we break." Now the bread is not broken 
until after the consecration. When that has taken place, 
according to Romanists, there is no more bread there ; it 
has become the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus 
Christ; yet Paul calls it " the bread which we break." I 
am sure it is evident that Paul and the Romish church are 
at variance here. Moreover, if you still insist upon it, that 
the Saviour said, " This is my body," and that therefore we 
must understand him literally, you put Paul at direct vari- 
ance with his Divine Master. For, in this case, that identi- 
cal substance which Christ declares to be his real flesh, 
Paul as plainly pronounces to be bread. But let us proceed 
to the third quotation. 

1 Cor. xi. 27 — 29. " Whosoever shall eat this bread, or 
drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the 
body and bipod of the Lord. He that eateth and drinketh 
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself not 
discerning the body of the Lord." 

The same difficulty, which I have just exposed, is found 
again in this passage. Paul speaks of the elements as 
" bread" after their consecration. He says that they who 
partake of these symbols unworthily, i. e. without a proper 
sense of their guilt as sinners, and without feeling true sor- 
row for their sins, " are guilty of the body and blood of the 



QQ TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

Lord ; are chargeable with treating them contemptuously, 
and thus contract a share of the guilt of those who wounded 
his sacixid body, and shed his precious blood upon the cross. 
Hence the apostle adds, " He that eateth and drinketh un- 
worthily, eatelh and drinketh damnation to himself, not 
discerning the Lord's body." The word (xpt/ia) rendered 
damnation is usually translated "condemnation or punish- 
ment." The passage does not mean that the unworthy 
partaker commits a mortal sin, for which there is no for- 
giveness to be obtained upon repentance. No, dear hearers, 
"the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth yrom all sin.'''' But 
here I find a question proposed, upon which no little em- 
phasis is laid. 

" Now, how should a person be guilty of the body and 
blood of Ihe Lord, by receiving unworthily, if what he 
received were only bread and wine, and not the body and 
blood of the Lord ? Or where should be the crime of not 
discerning the body of the Lord, if the body of the Lord 
were not there ?" 

I answer because the bread and wine are accredited sym- 
bols of the Lord's body and blood. They represent the 
Saviour's sacrifice of himself upon the cross. His body 
then was broken for sinners." His blood then was shed for 
us; and in this memorial feast, in which we commemorate 
the Saviour's passion and his dying love, we call to mind 
his sufferings and death, by virtue of which every penitent 
believer finds pardon and complete redemption. Those who 
partake unworthily, by the very act despise that sacrifice, 
and thus are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 
" They tread under foot the Son of God, and count the blood 
of the covenant an unh )ly thing." " The natural man re- 
ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are 
foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned." The papist cannot con- 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. gj 

ceive how any man can be guilty of the body and blood of 
the Lord, unless he eats and drinks the literal flesh and 
blood of the Master ; " neither can he know these things, 
because they are spiritually discerned." But the closing 
sentence propounds another query. Before I answer this 
question, and I will do it in as few words as are used in pro- 
pounding it, I beg leave to refer you, for one moment, to the 
original. O ydp iadCoiv xat, rtvvMv dvaftcoj, xpifiatavtu iaOdt, xac 
7<tv£6) firj Swxxptvwv to au[xa, tov Kvptou. Every one, at all fami- 
liar with the Greek, knows that the literal meaning of the 
word ^LaxpvvBiv is, "to make a difference; to discriminate;" 
this is also the original meaning of the Latin word discerno, 
from which we have the English word discern^ To *' dis- 
cern," then, properly means to " make a distinction," or a 
*' difference." In this sense, our translators employed it. 
"He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drink- 
eth condemnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's 
body ;" i. e. " not making a difference between the Lord's 
Supper and an ordinary meal." That this was, in the apos- 
tle's mind, is evident from the context. Before he gives the 
words which he had received of the Lord, relative to the 
institution of the sacrament, he uses this language : (1 Cor. 
xi. 20 — 22.) " When ye come together therefore into one 
place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper. |^or in eating 
every one taketh before other his own supper : and one is 
hungry, and another is drunken. What! have ye not 
houses to eat and to drink in 1 Or despise ye the church of 
God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to 
you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." It 
seems there were some in the church at Corinth, who per- 
verted sacramental seasons, by making them occasions of 
feasting, rioting, and drunkenness. To this Paul refers, 
when he tells them that they who eat and drink unworthily 
incur punishment, not discerning the Lord's body ; not mak- 
6 



52 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

ing a difference between the sacramental feast and any other. 
And he goes on to say : " For this cause many among you 
are weak and sickly, and many sleep." They had been 
visited with judgments for their profanation of this ordinance* 
At the close of the chapter Paul sums up his admonitions by 
telling them, " If any man hunger, let him eat at home, 
that ye come not together to condemnation." The word 
discern, therefore, in this passage, is not used in the popular 
acceptation of seeing. This is the meaning, however, affixed 
to it in the Grds. of Cath. Doct., no other signification will 
make sense. " Where should be the crime of not discerning 
the Lord's body, if the body of the Lord were not there V I 
ask my Romish interrogator in reply, " Do you discern the 
Lord's body in the sacrament ? Do you see his flesh and 
his blood, his soul and divinity ? If so, show them to us. 
Your wafer is a wafer still, and not a body with limbs and 
sinews, flesh and blood. Unless you prove to my senses, 
that there is a real change in the elements, how am I to see 
the Lord's body ? " Or where shall be the crime of not 
discerning the Lord's body if the body of the Lord is not 
there ?" 

I proceed to the last quotation from Scripture, adduced in 
the Grds. C. D., p. 43. 

John vi. 51, &c. " The bread that I will give is my flesh, 
which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews there- 
fore debated among themselves, saying, How can this man 
give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them. Ve- 
rily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the 
Son of Man and drink his blood, ye shall have no life in 
you. Whosoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood 
hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in 
me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. v63 

I live by the Father : so he that eateth me, even he shall 
live by me. This is that bread Avhich came down from hea- 
ven, not as your falhei-s did eat wanna aad are dead: he 
that eateth of this bread shall Hve for ever." 

Now, I suppose it will be conceded, that no one can bet- 
ter interpret the meaning of this Scripture than the Saviour 
himself.. When he spoke of feeding the church with his 
•own flesh and blood, both his disciples and the Jews under- 
stood him as speaking literally ; of this there can be no 
<juestion; for the disciples murmured, and the Jews were 
filled with indignation, and asked, " How can this man give 
us his flesh to eat?" But if our Roman Catholic friends 
will read a few paragraphs farther, they will find that the 
Saviour corrected the mistake of his disciples and the Jews, 
and taught them to understand him figuratively. " It is the 
spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing : the words 
that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." 
Now if this means any thing, it teaches that the Saviour's 
-words were to be understood spiritually. But if tVtey are to 
be taken literally, I can very soon show you that they will 
•prove more than Romanists would wish to see established. 
"' He that eateth of this br^ad shail live for ever." If this 
be understood literally, then it must mean that the mere par- 
4akinfT of the sacrament insures salvation. Now Romanists 
will surely not contend for this. They understand this pas- 
sage as relating to the sacrament ; we say, it has no refer- 
ence to it at all. But if it refers to the sacrament, then 
every one who partakes of it, is sure of eternal life. Ju- 
das partook of the Lord's Supper as well as the other apos- 
tles. Did Judas obtain eternal life? What says our Lord? 
^' Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 
Luther, and Calvin, and Zuingle, and all the Reformers, 
who, according to Roman Catholic writers and priests, are 
now suflTering the pains of hell, on account of their heresy 



({>4 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

and apostacy, oflen partook of the real body and blood of 
Christ, whilst in communion with tiie church of Rome; and 
if so, Papists will have to agree with Protestants in believing 
that notwithstanding the anathemas of Popes and councils, 
Luther and his colleagues are safe. 

Romanists place great stress upon the testimony of the 
fathers; and I will, therefore, quote for their farther con- 
viction, what some of these fathers say concerning the very 
passage before us. Clement, of Alexandria, holds this Ian. 
guage : " When our Lord says. Eat my flesh and drink my 
blood, he allegorically means the drink of faith, and of the 
promises; and, that our Lord is, by way of allegory, to 
them who believe, meat, and flesh, and nourishment, and 
food." 

Tertullian says, "Our Lord expresses his meaning by 
allegory, and calls his word flesh, to be devoured by the ear, 
ruminated upon by the mind, and digested by faith." Eu- 
sebius again, says plainly, " His word and doctrine are flesh 
and blood." And the great Augustine gives us the following 
comment, which I recommend to the devout attention of all 
his admi^rers. " The words, which I speak unto you, they 
are spirit and Ijfe ; as if he had said, understand spiritually 
what I have said. You are not about to eat this identical 
body, which you see; and you are not about to drink this 
identical blood, which they who crucify me will pour out. 
On the contrary, I have commended a certain sacrament to 
you, which will vivify you, if spiritually under stood. ''''^ 

But I must go on to the passages of Scripture, which di- 
rectly contradict the doctrine of transubstantiation. I have 
shown, already, that all the quotations, claimed by Roman- 
ists, are decidedly against them. There is not a single pas- 
sage in all those, which I have adduced from their own book, 

* Augpus. Enarr. in Psalm xcviii. Oper. Vol. viii. p. 397. 



TKANSUBSTANTIATION. 65 

which does not bear witness against them. But, in addition 
lo these, take the following: David, in Ps. xvi,, says, 
•" Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." In 
the 2d of Acts, Peter, speaking by inspiration, tells us that 
this prediction Avas literally fulfilled, because Christ rose 
again on the third day, before corruption had taken place. 
It was, therefore, in accordance with the purpose of God, 
that the human nature of Christ should never see corrup- 
tion. But, if transubstantiation is true, the purpose of God, 
in regard to the human nature of Christ, is completely frus- 
trated. So far from the Holy One never seeing corruption, 
the literal flesh and blood of Christ sees corruption again 
and again, by the necessary process of digestion, every re- 
volving year, and month, and day. 

Again : The doctrine of the Latin church is, that in the 
celebration of the Eucharist, the priest offers up the literal 
body and blood of Christ to God, as a true and proper ex- 
piatory sacrifice for the quick and the dead. Hence it is a 
doctrine of the Romish church, that Christ is repeatedly 
offered. Contrast with this doctrine, the language o[ Paul. 
^' Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Heb. 
ix. 28; and still more lorcibly, "By the which will we are 
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, 
once for all." (Heb. x. 10.) And read, in addition, (1 Pet. 
iii. 18.) Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the 
unjust, that he might bring us to God." Here, then, we see 
the Romish church declares Christ is repeatedly offered, 
and the Bible declares, he was offered once, and but once — 
once for all. Transubstantiation is, therefore, clearly con- 
trary to Scripture. 

III. / proceed now to examine the testimony of the fa- 
thers. Upon this part of my subject I shall be very brief. 
Not only, because I would avoid trespassing, unduly, upon 
your patience, but for the additional reason, that I care very 

6* 



65 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

little for the testimony of the fathers. They were not in- 
spired, and though, no doubt, many of them were holy men, 
yet they were not infallible. If their opinions agree with 
the plain letter and spirit of Scripture, I am willing to listen 
to them ; but if they broach doctrines which the wayfaring 
man can see to be contradicted, both by reason and revela- 
tion, they will have no weight at all with .me. I acknow- 
ledge nothihg as an authoritative rule of faith, but the Holy 
Scriptures. " As many as walk according to this rule, 
peace be on them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." 
I am willing to admit, however, that the writers who lived 
during the first ages, particularly the first three centuries, 
enjoyed some opportunities of ascertaining truth which we 
do not now possess, especially with relation to matters of 
fact, and the early practice of the church. Now it is very 
plain, from the writings of the early fathers, that, until the 
fifth century, there is no distinct avowal in favour of the 
doctrine of transubstanliation ; but, on the contrary, very 
decided testimony against it. 

Whenever the early fathers descend to the strictness of 
explanatory definition, they plainly tell us, again and again, 
that the bread and wine are only figures of the body and 
blood of Christ, and so studious are they to avoid misappre- 
hension on this point, that they actually assure us in so 
many words, that we do not eat the literal flesh, and that 
we do not drink the real blood of Christ, when we celebrate 
the Lord's Supper. Terlullian, who lived at the end of the 
second and at the beginning of the third centuries, uses this 
language; in his Third Book vs. Marcion 12th chap., at the 
close.* " God in your gospel has so revealed the matter, 

* Tert. p. 237. " Sic enim Deus in evangello quoque vestro 
revelavit, panem corpus suum appellans, ut et hinc jam eum intel- 
ligas corporis sui fig-uratn panis dedisse, cujus retro corpus in 
panem prophetes fig-uravit, ipso domino, hoc sacramentum postea 
intcrpretaturo." 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. qj 

calling the bread his own body, that 5 ou may hence under- 
stand, how he gave bread to be ihejigvre of his own hody, 
which body, conversely, the prophet ho.^ fguratively called 
bread, the Lord himself being afterward about to interpret 
this Sacrament." And again, in his First Book vs. Marcion, 
9th chap. p. 174. "Indeed, up to this time Christ has 
reprobated neither the water of the creator with which he 
\\»ashes his people, nor the oil, with which he anoints them, 
nor the fellowship of honey and milk with which he feeds 
them as infants, nor the bread by which he represents his 
own body : for, even in his own sacraments, he needs the 
beggarly elements of the creator."^ These are not second- 
hand quotations. I have taken them from a copy of Ter- 
tullian's works, edited by Erasmus, and published in 
1530, which is in my private library. I am aware Ro- 
manists do not like Erasmus at all too well ; they accuse 
him of having laid the egg which Luther hatched. How- 
ever, as my copy of Tertullian is more than 300 years old, 
it could not have been altered to serve the purposes of here- 
tics, when they attempt to show that the fathers did not be- 
lieve in transubstantialion. But I will proceed to quote 
some farther authority. Cyprian, who lived in the third 
century, holds the following language, (see p. 315, vol. 5. 
of Kirchen Vaeter.) Speaking of the ancient custom of 
mingling water with wine in the Eucharist, he says : " By 
water we perceive that the people is intended ; but by wine 
we may observe, that the blood of Christ is represented,'''' 
(See also p. 312.) Clement of Alexandria, in the second 
century, speaks like a good sensible Protestant, *' Inasmuch 

* Sed illequidem usque nunc nee aquam reprobavit crealoris, 
qua suos abluit, nee oleum quo sues unguit, nee mellis et lactis 
Bocietatem qua suos infantat, nee panem quo ipsum corpus suum 
representat, etiam in sacraraentis propriis egens mendicitatibus 
creatoris." 



QQ TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

as Christ declared, lliat ilie bread which I give you is my 
flesh ; and inasmuch as flesh is irrigated by blood; therefore, 
the wine is allegorically called blood. For the word is 
ALLEGOKiCALLY DESIGNATED by many different names, such 
as meat and flesh, and nourishment, and bread, and blood, 
and milk; for the Lord is all things for the enjoyment of us, 
who have believed in him.* Nor let any one think that we 
speak strangely, when we say that milk is allegorically 
called the blood of the Lord : for is not wine likewise 
ALLEGORICALLY Called by the very same appellation?"! 
And again : '^ Be well assured that Christ also himself par- 
took of wine ; inasmuch as he also was a man. He, more- 
over, blessed the wine, saying, ' Take, drink ; this is my 
blood,' the blood of the vine. The consecrated liquor of 
exhilaration, therefore, allegorically represents the Word, 
who poured him.self out on behalf of many for the remission 
of sins.":j: 

Cyril of Jerusalem, in the fourth century, says, " Let us 
partake as of the body and blood of Christ. For under the 
TYPE of bread his body is given to thee ; and under the type 
of wine his blood is given to thee ; that so thou mayest par- 
take of the body and blood of Christ, being one body and 
one blood with him." (Catech. Mystagog. IV. p. 217.) 

Augustine, in the fourth century, says, " The Lord, when 
he gave the sign of his body, did not doubt to say, ' This is 
my body.' In the history of the New Testament, so 
great and so marvellous was the patience of our Lord, that 
bearing with Judas, though not ignorant of his purpose, he 
admitted him to the banquet, in which he commended and 
delivered to his disciples, ' the figure' of his own body and 



* Paedag-. lib. 1. c. 6. p. 104. 

t Ibid. p. 105. 

^ Ibid. lib. 2. c. 2. p. 158. 



TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 69 

blood."* One more quotation, and I will dismiss the Fathers 
for the present. Hear Pope Gelasius in the fifth century. 
" Certainly, the sacraments of the body and blood of the 
Lord, which we receive, are a divine thing : because by 
these we are made partakers of the divine nature. Never- 
theless, the substance or nature of the bread and wine ceases 
not to exist ; and assuredly, the image and similitude of the 
body and blood of Christ are celebrated in the action of the 
mysteries." (See Gelas. de duabus Christi naturis. Bibli- 
otheca Patrum, vol. 4. p. 422.) Give me leave, in addition 
to this testimony from antiquity, to 'mention a historical fact, 
which took place during the persecution at Lyons, A. D. 
177. " The pagans wishing to ascertain the secret ceremo- 
nial of the Christians, apprehended their slaves and put 
them to the torture. Impatient of the pain, and having 
nothing to tell which might please their tormentors, the 
slaves, who had heard their masters say that the Eucharist 
was the body and blood of Christ, forthwith communicated 
this circumstance. Whereupon the tormentors, fancying 
that it was literal blood and flesh which was served up in 
the mysteries of the Christians, hastened to inform the other 
Pagans. These ipfimediately apprehended the martyrs, 
Sanctus and Blapdina; and endeavoured to extort from 
them a confession of the deed. But Blandjna readily and 
boldly answered, — how can those, who through piety, ab^ 
stain even fjrom lawful food, be capable of perpetrating the 
actions, which you allege against them?"f 

Misapprehending the true nature of the Eucharist, the 
Pagans fancied that the primitive Christians literally de- 
voured human flesh, and literally drank human blood, 

* Aug'. Enarr. in Psalm iii. Op. Vol. viii. p. T. See Faber'a 
Difficulties of Romanism. 

■j- Iren. Frag-, apud fficum. in 1 Pet. ii. 12, as (quoted by Pa^ 
ber, p. 118. 



70 TRANSUDSTANTIATION. 

Christians were tortured in order to obtain a confession, but 
they uniformly denied the existence of any such abomina- 
tion in their rehgious worship ! Now, I ask, could they 
with truth have denied its existence, if they had held the 
doctrine of transubstantiation? No! For then they must 
have been conscious that they were guilty of the very crime 
alleged against them, viz. that of literally devouring human 
flesh, and literally drinking human blood. But they uni- 
formly denied that they did any such thing, therefore they 
clid not hold the doctrine of transubstantiation ! 

Now, my brethren, with this evidence from antiquity be- 
fore you, what would you think of the veracity of a popish 
priest, who in the face of the verdict of these Fathers, should 
gravely tell his auditory that their unbroken testimony is all 
in favour of "transubstantiation?" I will tell you what I 
should think, were I to hear any such assertion. One of 
two things is certain. The man who can make such a 
statement, is either lamentably ignorant, or else he is atro- 
ciously wicked. Why, my brethren, the early fathers, 
never heard of transubstantiation I It is a word that was 
not coined in the popish mint, until long after the last of the 
fathers, from whom I have quoted, had gone to his rest ! 
The doctrine itself is a novelty. It is a heresy which origi- 
nated in the fifth century, and was first started by Eutyches. 
In the works of Theodoret we have an elaborate discussion 
on the subject, in which that father puts arguments into the 
mouth of Orthodoxus, (a fictitious character, whose name 
indicates that Theodor-et looked upon him as orthodox in 
his sentiments,) which completely demolish the whole the- 
ory of a physical change in the elements. This shows how 
the heresy was regarded, when it was first broached. I 
hold it proved, therefore, that transubstantiation is contra- 
dicted by the testimony of the early fathers. 



TRANSUBSTANTFATION. -yj 

IV. In conclusion, I think I can redeem my promise to 
show that Romanists probably do not believe the doctrine 
now. In order to establish this point, I will state the following 
case : " A Protestant lady entered the matrimonial state with 
a Roman Catholic gentlemen, on condition he would never 
use any attempts, in his intercourse with her, to induce her 
to embrace his religion. Accordingly, after their marriage, 
he abstained from conversing with her on those religious 
topics, which he knew would be disagreeable to her. He 
employed the Romish priest, however, who often visited the 
family to use his influence to instil his popish notions into 
her mind. But she remained unmoved, particularly on the 
doctrine of transubstantiation. At length the husband fell 
ill, and during his affliction was advised by the priest to 
receive the holy sacrament. The wife was requested to 
prepare bread and wine for the solemnity by the next day. 
She did so ; and on presenting them to the priest said, ' These, 
sir, you wish me to understand, will be changed into the 
real body and blood of Christ after you have consecrated 
them.' ' Most certainly,' he replied. ' Then, sir,' she re- 
joined, ' it will not be possible, after the consecration, for 
them to do any harm to the worthy partakers ; for, says our 
Lord, my flesh is meat indeed, and ray blood is drink 
indeed ; and he that eateth me shall live by me.' ' As- 
suredly,' answered the priest, 'they cannot do harm to the 
worthy receivers, but must communicate great good.' The 
ceremony commenced, and the bread and wine were con- 
secrated ; the priest was about to take and eat the bread ; 
but the lady begged pardon for interrupting him, adding, 
' I mixed a little arsenic with the bread, sir, but as it is now 
changed into the real body of Christ, it cannot of course do 
you any harm.' The principles of the priest, however, 
were not sufficiently firm to enable him to eat it. Confused, 
ashamed and irritated, he left the house, and never more 



72 TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

ventured to enforce on the lady the absurd doctrine oftran^ 
substantiation." — McGavirCs Protestant^ vol. i. p. 425. 

Whether this anecdote be literally true in all its circum- 
stances or not, I cannot pretend to say. Perhaps it is not, 
but if not, it is no matter so far as the validity of the argu- 
ment is concerned. The case may be realized at any time, 
and may, I think, be fairly used to put any papist to the 
test as to his belief in transubstantiation. I should be very 
sorry indeed if any Roman Catholic should consent to make 
the experiment. And I have too good an opinion of their 
common sense to believe that they would incur the risk of 
being poisoned. If the priest's mumbling " Hoc est corpus 
meum," can expel the arsenic, and mind, it must be Pro- 
testant arsenic, I shall certainly be less skeptical than I am 
at present on the subject; and just so soon as I have ocular 
demonstration to convince me, that the wafer is changed into 
the real body and blood, soul and divinity of the Saviour, I 
shall most cheerfully give in my assent to the doctrine of 
transubstantiation, and shall be ready to admit that its op- 
posers are far more perverse than I ever supposed them to be. 



LECTURE III. 



PURGATORY. 
Luke xxiii. 43^ 

"** AND JESUS SAID UiNTO HIM, VERILY I SAY UNTO THEE, TO-DAY 
SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE." 

The doctrine which \vas announced last Sabbath as the 
subject of discourse for this evening, is one of those strange 
things which most clearly convict the Romish church of 
gross apostacy from the simplicity of the gospel. The be- 
lief in purgatory is a tenet peculiar to the Roman Catholic 
faith. It is certainly not enjoined in the Bible, which con- 
tains the grounds of Protestant doctrine, nor is it incorpo- 
rated in any of the standards of the Protestant churches 
as an article of faith. You find it in Roman Catholic 
books, and in them only. It may be inferred from what I 
have just said, that the Bible is not to be regarded as a Roman 
Catholic book. I shall not enter into a lengthy argument 
to prove this ; the fact that the word of God is included in 
the index of prohibited books, and that its common circula- 
tion is reprobated by the highest authorities of the popish 
church, is surely proof enough. That this is the case, I 
shall show hereafter, meanwhile, any one who wishes to 
satisfy himself, need only turn to the chapter in the Acts 
of the Council of Trent, which treats " of forbidden books," 
^nd he will find that the common reading of God's word is 
7 



74 PURGATORY. 

declared to be fraught with the most pernicious results, and is 
therefore strictly forbidden. The assertion that the doctrine 
of purgatory is now to be found only in Roman Catholic books 
will, I suppose, not be disputed by the most zealous papists. 
The Bible says not a word about purgatory- You cannot 
find the word in this whole volume, from Genesis to Reve- 
lation. Now, if it were a matter of revelation, it would 
certainly have had a name and a place in the Scriptures. 
Every important doctrine taught in the word of God is 
clearly designated by its appropriate appellation. We 
read much of heaven and hell, but not a word of purgatory. 
We read of faith and repentance, and the atonement, and 
justification, and sanctification, &c., and these words aU 
point out particular doctrines which are clearly defined in 
the Scriptures. It is a strange thing that there should be 
no name for purgatory in the Bible, if there* really is such 
a state or place, especially when so much is said about hea- 
ven and hell, the two other abodes of departed souls. But 
strange as it is, it is true. This silence I can account 
for only on one or the other of the following suppositions. 
There is either a singular omission, not to say defect in the 
word of God ; or else there is no such thing as purgatory. 
The latter I consider the more probable case of the two, 
and I hope to bring over every unprejudiced hearer to my 
opinion. The plan I have proposed to myself in treating 
this subject is, 

I. To EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE WHICH IS OFFERED IN 
SUPPORT OF THE DOCTRINE. 

II. To PRODUCE TESTIMONY WHICH SUBVERTS IT. 

I. What is the doctrine of the church, as to purgatory ? 

" We constantly hold, that there is a purgatory ; and that 
the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the 
faithful. That is, by the prayers and alms offered for them, 
and principally by the holy sacrifice of the mass. 



PURGATORY. 75 

^ What do you mean by purgatory ? 

"A micldte state of souls, who depart this life in God's 
grace, yet not without some lesser stains or guilt of punish- 
ment, which retards them from entering heaven. But as to 
the particular place where these souls suffer, or the quality 
of the torments which they suffer, the church has decided 
nothing. 

" What sort of Christians then go to purgatory? 

*' 1. Such as die guilty of lesser sins, which we commonly 
call venial, as many Christians do, who, either by sudden 
"death or otherwise, are taken out of this life before they have 
repented of these ordinary failings. 2dly. Such as have 
been formerly guilty of greater sins, and have not made full 
satisfaction for them to the divine justice. 

" Why do you say that those who die guilty of lesser 
sins go to purgatory ? 

" Because such as depart this life before they have re- 
pented for these venial frailties and imperfections cannot be 
supposed to be condemned to the eternal torments of hell, 
since the sins of which they are guilty are but small, which 
€ven God's best servants are more or less liable to. Nor 
can they go straight to heaven in this state, because the 
Scripture assures us, (Rev. xxi. 17,) ' There shall in no 
wise enter thither any thing that defileth^' Now «very sin, 
be it ever so small, certainly defileth the soul. Hence our 
Saviour assures us, that we ar€ to render an account even 
for every idle word. (Matt. xii. 36.) 

" Upon what then do you ground your belief of purga- 
tory ? 

''^ Upon Scripture, tradition and reason."* 

I shall follow the Grds. of C. D., and see what evidence 
Scripture, tradition, and reason offer in support of purga- 
tory. 

* Grds. C. D., p. 55. 



76 



PURGATORY. 



1. " How upon Scripture? Because the Scripture, in many 
places, assures us that * God will render to every one accord- 
ing to his works.'" We are then referred to the following 
passages; and, in order to give all possible weight to these 
references, I will read them as they stand in the Doway Bi- 
ble. "But the king shall rejoice in God; all they shall 
be praised that swear by him ; because the mouth is stop- 
ped of them that speak wicked things." Ps. Ixii. 12. What 
this has to do with purgatory I cannot conceive. There is 
nothing here about "prayers, and alms, and the holy sacri- 
fice of the mass, being offered for the souls of the faithful." 
Neither is the text very relevant to prove that God will re- 
ward every man according to his works. Perhaps, how- 
ever, there is a typographical error, and the twelfth verse 
of Ps. Ixi. may be intended. I will read that. " God hath 
spoken once, these two things have I heard, that power be- 
longeth to God, and mercy to thee, O Lord, for thou wilt 
render to every man according to his works." Again : 
(Matt. xvi. 27.) " For the Son of Man shall come in the 
glory of his Father with his angels, and then will he render 
to every man according to his works." (Rom. ii. 6.) " Who 
will render to every man according to his works." (Rev. xxii. 
12.) "Behold, 1 come quickly: and my reward is with me, 
to render to every man according to his works." These are 
the quotations from the Doway Bible. I suppose my hear- 
ers, like myself, feel disposed to ask, " What have these 
texts to do with purgatory?" When I had looked out these 
Scripture passages, I could not help turning to the Grds. of 
C. D. again, and reading the doctrine of the church on this 
point. No one doubts that God will reward every man ac- 
cording to his works; but what has this to do with purga- 
tory ? Hear Pope Pius. " Now this would not be true," 
(viz. that God will reward every man according to his 
works,) "if there was no such thing as purgatory." How 
so ? " for how would God render to every one according to 



PURGATORY. ^^ 

his works, if such as die in the guill of any, even of the 
least sin, which they have not taken care to blot out by re- 
pentance, would nevertheless go straight to heaven?"* Here 
the Pope and the Bibie are fairly at issue. The Bible says, 
^'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin;" the 
Pope intimates that repentance blots out sin. If so, where 
is the need of the Saviour's blood ? If I can blot out my 
«ins by repentance, I need no Saviour I But waiving this 
for the present, the declarations of Scripture, that " God will 
reward every man according to his works," have no rela- 
tion to purgatory ; and the Pope gives a very fair specimen 
of the manner in which Popes and Papists argue, when he 
says, " This would not be true, if there was no such thing 
as purgatory 1" "for how would God render to every one 
according to his works, if such as die in the guilt of any, 
even of the least sin, which they have not taken care to blot 
out by repentance, would, nevertheless, go straight to hear 
ven?" Who says they will go to heaven? Not Protestants, 
I am sure. If men die " in the guilt of any, even the least 
sin," the Bible tells us, they must perish, and that for- 
ever. Instead of going straight to heaven, they will go 
straight to hell. And for the v«ry sufficient reason, that if 
any man is under the guilt of sin, even the least sin, he 
is an unregenerate man. And no unconverted man can 
possibly enter the kingdom of heaven ! It is absurd, by the 
way, to speak of little sins. Some sins are, it is true, greater 
than others ; but no sins can be called little, so long as the 
God against whom they are committed is a great God. As 
for those who are regenerated by the grace of God, they 
do not " die in the guilt of any, even the least sin," because 
in virtue of Christ's atoning sacrifice, all their sins, without 
any exception, are forgiven. " There is therefore now no 

* Grounds of C. D., p. 51. 

7* 



78 



PURGATORY. 



condemnation to them, which are in Christ Jesus." (Rom. 
viii. 1.) The believer has received the full pardon of all 
his sins, not because he has made satisfaction by doing pe- 
nance ; but, because God, for Christ's sake, does not im- 
pute sin ! Therefore David says, " Blessed is the man to 
whom the Lord imputcth not iniquity." (Ps. xxxii. 2.) The 
psalmist does not call the man blessed, who has not com- 
mitted sin, for there is no such man on earth ; but the man 
to whom sin is not imputed, who has it not charged against 
him for future reckoning. The standing of such a man, 
before God, is not in himself, but in his Saviour; therefore 
he is blessed ! Now believers give evidence that they are 
the children of God by their works. "By their fruits ye 
shall know them." They are created anew to good works 
in Christ Jesus. Their persons and services are accepted 
for Christ's sake, not for any intrinsic merit they possess. 
The Bible tells us, that men shall be rewarded according to 
their works, but not on account of their works. My hear- 
ers will observe, there is a broad distinction to be made be- 
tween the expressions " according to works," and " on account 
of works," just as there is a difference between the evidence 
of a witness and the fact which that witness is called to esta- 
blish. The sentence of a court, if delivered in equity, will 
be according to evidence, but the man is not acquitted or 
condemned on account of the evidence, but on account of 
his guilt or innocence, as established by the testimony. 

But here I ask again, What has all this to do with pur- 
gatory? These Scriptures speak of God's rewarding men 
" according to their works ;" but it is plainly avowed by 
Papists themselves, that in purgatory God renders to every 
man, not " according to his works," but according to his 
wealthy or to the wealth of his surviving friends. The more 
masses his surviving friends can procure for the repose of 
his soul, the sooner he will be delivered from purgatory ; 
and money will buy masses to any extent you please. 



PURGATORY. 



79 



2. But I must proceed to the next Scripture proof. " Have 
you any other text which the fathers and ecclesiastical 
•writers interpret of purgatory? Yes, 1 Cor. iii. 13, 14, 15. 
* Every man's work shall be made manifest. For the day 
shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And 
the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If 
any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, (that 
is, upon the foundation, which is Jesus Christ,) he shall re- 
ceive a reward. If any man's work shall be burnt, he shall 
suffer loss : but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.' 
From which text it appears, that such as in their faith, and 
in the practice of their lives, have stuck to the foundation, 
which is Christ Jesus, so as not to forfeit his grace by mor- 
tal sin ; though they have otherwise been guilty of great im- 
perfection, by building wood, hay, and stubble (v. 12,) upon 
this foundation ; it appears, I say, that such as these, ac- 
cording to the apostle, must pass through a fiery trial at the 
time that 'every man's work shall be made manifest;' 
which is not till the next life ; and that they shall be saved 
indeed, yet so as by fire, that is, by passing through purga- 
tory."* 

It is amusing to see the cool assurance with which 
Pope Pius concludes this paragraph, " yet so as by fire, 
i. e. by passing through purgatory." A man might read 
over this Scripture one hundred times, and he would never 
be able to find any thing of purgatory in it, unless he came 
determined to pervert the passage. If we look at the apos- 
tle's scope, and this is the only way to ascertain his mean- 
ing, we shall see that in the context, Paul is speaking of 
some who held indeed the foundation of Christianity, but 
built upon it such doctrines and practices as would not be 
approved in the day of trial. These he designates as wood, 
hay, and stubble, which are not proof against the fire. 

» Grds, C. D. p. 57. 



QQ PURGATORY. 

Such persons, the apostle tells us, will be in great danger, 
though he would not deny the possibility of their salvation. 
To be saved " so as by fire," or " out of the fire," is a pro- 
verbial expression, used not only in Scripture, but in pro- 
fane authors also, to signify a narrow escape out of great 
danger. Thus, Amos iv. 11, "Ye were as a fire brand 
plucked out of the burning," and Jude 23, " Others save 
with fear, piilling them out of the fire." Besides, it is not 
said that a man shall be saved by fire, but, " so as by fire." 
The apostle had been speaking of metals. These are puri- 
fied from dross by means of fire. Now, if any Christian 
should build improper things upon the true foundation, God 
would, by some trying dispensation, destroy his work. His 
labour would be lost ; and so as by fire gold is separated 
from the dross, he would be saved from his errors and cor- 
ruptions. 

In the exposition of this passage, I have followed the 
general opinion of the commentators, though a careful ex- 
amination of the context leads me to offer an explanation, 
which strikes me as more satisfactory than that which is 
commonly received. In the ninth verse Paul says to the 
Corinthians, " Ye are God's building." He then proceeds 
to enlarge and carry out this metaphor, by reminding them 
of his own labours among them as a " wise master builder," 
and to caution every man, i. e. every builder, or minister, 
to take heed how he builds upon the foundation Christ 
Jesus, V. 10, 11. The building consists not of doctrines^ 
but 0^ converts, " Ye are God's building," and the character 
of these converts is typified by the figures of" gold, silver, 
precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble." It is a common 
thing for the sacred writers to use gold and silver as emble- 
matical of the righteous. Thus Job says, " When he hath 
tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job xxiii. 10. "I 
will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine 



PURGATORY. Q^ 

ihcm as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried ; 
they shall call on my name, and I will hear them : I will 
say it is my people," &c. Zech. xiii. 9. " Ye also, as live- 
ly stones, are built up a spiritual house," <kc. 1 Pet. ii. 5. 

Wood, hay, and stubble are as often employed as appro- 
priate emblems of the character of the wicked. " Behold, 
I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people 
wood, and it shall devour them." Jer. v. 14. "Let them 
be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore 
it groweth up." Ps. cxxix. 6. " Thou sentest thy wrath, 
which consumed them as stubble." Exod. xv. 7. " For be- 
hold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven ; and all 
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble : 
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord 
of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." 
Mai. iv. 1. "The fire will try every man's work of what 
sort it is;" " the day shall declare it," that great and terri- 
ble day of the Lord, when ministers and people shall be ar- 
raigned before the bar of Jehovah ; when the righteous shall 
come forth unscathed from the burning world, and the 
wicked be punished with everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power. Many 
ministers, who have been over anxious to make large addi- 
tions to the church, and who have looked more at the quan- 
tity than the quality of their material, will suffttr loss, much 
of their work will be burned, many of the converts will 
prove to have been their converts and not the Lord's. These 
builders will not receive as large a reward as those whose 
work abides, who have been more careful and discriminate 
ing; nevertheless, they themselves shall be saved ; yet so as 
by fire, i. e. with difficulty. They built upon the true 
foundation, though much of their work was burned. " They 
that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; 
and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for 



Q2 PURGATORY. 

ever and ever." Dan. xii. 3. I am the more inclined to believe 
this exposition to be correct, because it is in perfect keeping 
with the drift of the apostle's discourse. He is reproving 
the party-spirit of the Corinthians, and speaking of his fel- 
low labourers in the ministry, before he introduces the pas- 
sage in question. I offer these hints with diffidence; if they 
meet the eye of one, who denounces all private interpreta- 
tion of the Scriptures, tliey will of course receive very little 
countenance, especially as they do not favour the purgatory 
scheme. 

Paul says nothing in the context that can lead us to be- 
lieve that he held that there was a purgatory ; " and that the 
souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the 
faithful, i. e. by prayers and alms from them, and princi- 
pally by the holy sacrifice of the mass." And if you turn to 
the Grds. of C. D., you will find that this Scripture is 
brought forward to establish this point. One remark, how- 
ever, I must make, in justice to those who interpret this 
passage as relating to purgatory. The apostle speaks of 
building ^' gold and silver" upon the foundation of Christi- 
anity, and there is no doubt, that in a certain sense, purga- 
tory is a building of gold and silver. Only think of the 
vast revenues which this doctrine, in connexion with that of 
indulgences, has brought to Holy Mother, and who can 
question for one moment, that the inventors of purgatory 
iiave built " gold and silver" upon their foundation? In the 
apostle's mind, I suppose, however, all this would be included 
in the hay and stubble, which will not stand when " the fire 
shall try every man's work of what sort it is." Besides all 
this, the text says, " the fire shall try every man's work^^ 
not, the fire shall purge or purify every man, so that, if this 
fire should signify purgatory, and if every man should fol- 
low his work, no man that once got into purgatory, would 
ever come out of it, and so the suflfrages of the faithful would 
be of no service. 



PURGATORY. 



83 



3. But not to dwell too long upon one passage, I must pro- 
ceed. " Matt. V. 25, 26. ' Agree with thine adversary 
quickly whilst thou art in the way with him; lest at anytime 
the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver 
thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I 
say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out of thence 
till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.' Which text, St. 
Cyprian, one of the most ancient fathers, understands of the 
prison of purgatory. Epis. 52 ad Antoninum."*' 

The passage in Cyprian, to which we are referred, cer- 
tainly teaches nothing like the present doctrine of purgatory. 
I will quote it in its proper place. Augustine interprets this 
text as alluding to hell.f But suppose Cyprian to mean what 
Romanists assert, and to be right in his application of 
these words, they will be very far from sustaining the traffic 
of our purgatory priests. " Verily, I say unto thee, thou 
shalt BY NO MEANS comc out thence till thou hast paid the 
uttermost farthing." Why this is a death-blow to the whole 
theory. The man in prison who represents, according to 
Catholic doctrine, the soul in purgatory, is told, " Thou 
shalt hy no means come out thence." This admits of no 
commutation of punishment. The sinner must pay the 
whole debt himself — " till thou hast paid," &c. And how is 
he to pay it? " for we brought nothing with us into this world, 
and it is certain we can carry nothing out." What good 
will alms, and prayers, and masses do? "Thou shalt by 
NO MEANS come out thence !!" If I had wished to choose a 
text from the Bible that would overthrow the whole purga- 
torian scheme, I could not have selected one more to the 
purpose than this, which Pope Pius, with apostolic simpli- 
city, furnishes to my hand. 

* Grds. C. D. 58. 

f Fulke's Confutation of Rhemlsh Testament, p. 46, in loco. 
New York, 1834. 



84 PURGATORY. 

In the connexion in which we find these words, Christ 
was speaking of unjust anger, unkind w^ords, and quarrels 
among brethren. He says, that a man, who harbours ill- 
will against a brother, is not in a fit state of mind to offer 
an acceptable sacrifice to God. He is therefore commanded 
to take immediate steps to effect a reconciliation, and it is 
in this connexion that the Saviour says, " Agree with thine 
adversary," &c., meaning, that if this is not done, he may 
expect that his adversary will take summarj?^ vengeance, 
when he shall have it in his power. No doubt, the words 
were intended to convey spiritual instruction. The man 
who hates his brother cannot love God, and unless his 
hatred be removed, he will incur punishment from which 
he will never be delivered ! " Thou shalt by no means come 
out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." I hope 
that my Roman Catholic friends will never pay another 
penny to their priests to help souls out of purgatory when, 
according to the very authority which Pope Pius adduces, 
there is so little prospect of their release. 

I was not a little surprised at reading in No. 3,* p. 13, of 
the Tracts, published by the Papist Tract Society of Balti- 
more, the following statement : " With respect to the asser- 
tion so often made by the enemies of the Catholic religion, 
that for a sum of money, its ministers claim the power of 
releasing souls from purgatory, I need not, I am 'sure 
add, that it is another of those strange misrepresentations 
which, though a thousand times proved to be groundless, is 
as often repeated. The Catholic priest claims no authority 
or jurisdiction over the dead. All he can do is, to apply to 
the mercy of God in their behalf; but like other men, he 



* The substance of a discourse, delivered at Bradford, England, 
by the Rig^ht Rev. Dr. Baines, Bishop of Siga, &c. 



PURGATORY. 



85 



must ever remain uncertain respecting the efficacy of his 
prayers," &c. Cold comfort this for the faithful. The 
priest it seems does not know whether his prayers and sacri- 
fices are worth any thing or not ! And yet he lakes money 
for these extra prayers and sacrifices, and will not perform 
them without it. For the same Rt. Rev. Dr. Baines, Bishop, 
&c., who complains of this as one of the " strange misrepre- 
sentations" which have so often been refuted, nevertheless jus- 
tifies this practice of the priests. After stating that the priest 
prays every day without remuneration for the souls of the 
departed in general, he adds, " But if not content with these 
general prayers and sacrifices, individuals wish for their 
friends special and peculiar services, surely he who performs 
them may, without reproach, receive a remuneration." I 
hope all Roman Catholics will bear in mind that there is 
nothing certain relative to the liberation of their friends 
from purgatory ; there is no telling how much sacrifice, how 
many masses, or how many prayers will suffice to move 
God to mercy ; however, the priest will let them pay for as 
many masses as they choose to order ; but then, remember, 
it is slander to say that he claims the power of releasing 
souls from purgatory ; " he must ever remain uncertain re- 
specting the efficacy of his prayers !" If popery had existed 
in the days of Solomon, he would surely have included 
Holy Mother in the family of the horse-leach, for, like her two 
sisters, she is forever crying, " Give, give." (Prov. xxx. 15.) 
" The priest must ever remain uncertain respecting the effi- 
cacy of his prayers !" The apostle James says, " The fer- 
vent, effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.'*'' 
Let the reader draw his own inference. 

4. I proceed to the next quotation. " Whosoever speak- 

eth against the Holy Ghost*, it shall not be forgiven him, 

neither in this world nor in the world to come." Now I 

shall not inquire what the infallible fathers and doctors of 

8 



gQ PURGATORY. 

the Romish church say on this subject, because there is a 
very great diversity of opinion among them, and as one is just 
as infallible as the other, it is no easy matter to decide be- 
tween them. I believe that Mark and Luke were better 
interpreters of their brother Matthew than all the fathers 
and doctors put together, and the sense which they give to 
the Saviour's expression, that the sin against the Holy Ghost 
shall not be forgiven either in this world, or in the world to 
come is, that it shall never be forgiven. Mark records the 
Saviour's words thus : " He that shall blaspheme against 
the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of 
eternal damnation." (Mark iii. 29.) Luke says, "But 
unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall 
not be forgiven." (Luke xii. 10.) The phrase neither in 
this world, nor in the world to come, is a Hebrew form of 
speech, equivalent to never. But suppose our Saviour's 
language in Matthew does intimate that there is forgiveness 
to be obtained in the world to come, why must this relate to 
purgatory 1 Why, says Pope Pius, *' It cannot be in hell, 
for there is no forc[iveness." Right. " Nor in heaven, for 
there is no sin." True. " Well, then, it must be in purga- 
tory." How so? Is there no forgiveness to be expected at 
the place where God will judge the world in righteousness 
by that man whom he hath ordained ? Shall not true be- 
lievers be openly acknowledged and acquitted at the day of 
judgment? Will not your sins be blotted out when the times 
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord ? So 
that you see we need not light up a purgatory, even supposing 
that there is forgiveness to be obtained in the world to come. 
And, at all events, this passage is not applicable to the sub- 
ject. "Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it 
shall not be forgiven him," &c. Why, souls go to purgatory 
not to be forgiven, but to be punished ! Purgatory is not a 
place where sins are forgiven, but where they are burnt out 



PURGATORY. 87 

of the sonl ! What has forgiveness in the world to come to 
do with purgatory? "Oh," says the papist, "I always 
thought that they were forgiven after they had made satis- 
faction in purgatory !" But do you not see, my friend, that 
if satisfaction be made, there is no room for forgiveness. If 
you owe me one hundred dollars, and pay me at the stipulated 
time, I cannot say that I forgive you the debt. The debt is 
paid, it is not forgiven. God forgives sinners for the sake 
of the Saviour. If they could make satisfaction for them- 
selves, there would be no need of God's forgiveness, nor 
of Jesus Christ; and then D ivid was wretchedly out of 
the way when he said, " But there is forgiveness with thee." 
But I forget, David was no papist. Let those who profess 
to make satisfaction, — to finish the finished righteousness of 
Christ, look to it that they do not bar against themselves 
the door oC forgiveness, 

5. " But," says the Roman Catholic, " you cannot deny 
that purgatory is implied, (Afite iii. 18 — 20,) where Christ 
is said by his spirit to have gone and preached, &c. to the 
spirits in person."* Here Pope Pius forgets part of his 
creed, and I must remind him of it. It is part of the Romish 
faith in relation to purgatory, (though it is not inserted in 
the Grds. of C. D., inasmuch, I suppose, as the theory I 
am going to mention belongs to the superstructure, and not 
the foundation,) that the souls of those who died in a state 
of grace, though with some stains of venial sin before 
Christ's appearance on earth, were confined in limbus, a 
place where there is no torment. " There are four infernal, 
or subterrestrial places; Hell, Purgatory, Limbus Infantum, 
for children who die without baptism, and Limbus Patrum, 
where the patriarchs were before Christ's incarnation. In 
hell and purgatory there are poena damni et poena sensus, 

* Grds. C. D., p. 59. 



38 PURGATORY. 

punishment of loss and pain. The two limbl are only dun- 
geons of darkness without tornnent, except absence from 
God."* 

Now, let us bear in mind that the spirits in prison were 
the souls of those who died during Noah's time, as the text 
tells us. Did these disobedient people die in mortal sin, or 
in a stale of grace? If the former, they went to hell. If 
the latter, they were to be accommodated in limbus patrum, 
a place where there is no torment. They were not in pur- 
gatory. If Christ preached to them, he went to limbus, not 
to purgatory. Then, what has this text to do with the sub- 
ject? The truth is, it has nothing to do either with limbus 
or purgatory, as may very satisfactorily be shown. The 
apostle's statement must be taken in connexion with the 
narrative of the inspired historian in Genesis vi. and vii. 
God saw that the wickedness of men on earth was very 
great, and he determined to destroy the world by a flood. 
He raised up Noah, a preacher of righteousness. During 
one hundred and twenty years, whilst the ark was prepar- 
ing, Noah faithfully preached to the men of his generation 
the righteousness of the promised Saviour as the only ground 
of hope for sinners. It was the Spirit of Christ which- spoke 
by all the prophets, as the apostle Peter tells us, " Of which 
salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, 
who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, 
searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ 
which was in them did signify," &c. (1 Pet. i. 11.) There- 
fore, Christ was preaching by his Spirit through Noah to 
the wicked sinners, who were witnesses of the buildin^ of 
the ark, and who heard the admonitions of the patriarch. 
But they were disobedient, they did not believe the warninc^, 
they would not flee for refuge to the hope set before them, 

* Bellarm. de Purgat. Lib. 2, Cap. 6. 



PURGATORY. 



89 



and in consequence of their rebellion they perished ; they 
were swept away by the flood, and when the apostle wrote, 
Ihey were shut up in the prison of hell, and there they will 
forever remain ! But, in addition to all this, there is another 
difficulty here. Why should Christ go to purgatory to 
preach to the spirits there? I never heard before that 
preaching was one of the means of getting souls out of pur- 
gatory. The priest tells us that prayers and alms, and 
above all, masses are the appointed means! You must re- 
member the souls in purgatory are kept there in order to 
satisfy for their venial sins ; preaching, therefore, could do 
them no good. It would probably afford very little pleasure 
to some papists to listen to the preaching of Jesus Christ, as 
he was wont to be rather se\ere on certain very reverend 
characters who made the word of God of none effect by 
their traditions, whilst "they made broad their phylacteries 
and enlarged the borders of their garments." Perhaps, in- 
deed, the idea in adducing this Scripture as a proof text for 
purgatory, might be that the penance of listening to the 
Saviour would be so severe as to avail very materially to- 
wards making satisfaction. Though after all it requires 
great skill in divination to be able clearly to understand 
what bearing this passage can have upon the Tridentine 
scheme of purgatory. 

These are all the texts which are adduced in the Grounds 
of Cath. Doct. in support of the doctrine of purgatory. 
I think I have shown that they are not altogether so conclu- 
sive in favour of the purgalorian plan, as pious Roman 
Catholics believe. Indeed, the more discreet doctors of that 
persuasion do not ground their doctrine of purgatory upon 
Scripture. Archbishop Fisher, e. g., who distinguished 
himself by the zeal with which he endeavoured to refute the 
opinions of Luther, and who is certainly of high authority 
in the Romish Church, frankly declared that " he could not 

8* 



90 PURGATORY. 

readily find any one Scripture that would force one to con- 
fess a purgatory : and if there be any such," says he, "it 
has hitherto escaped the most diligent inquiries." And well 
it nnay, for a vast amount of testimony can be gathered from 
Scripture, which will prove to every mind open to convic- 
tion, that this doctrine is not inculcated in the word of God. 
Some of this testimony 1 will now offer. 

II. If ever a poor sinner deserved to go to purgatory, it 
was the thief who was crucified at the Saviour's side. If 
my friends will turn at their leisure to Luke xxiii. 39-43, 
they will find as fair an opening for the introduction of this 
doctrine, as could possibly have been desired. Who was 
the malefactor to whom the Saviour spoke the words of my 
text ? He was a wretch, who confessed, whilst his flesh 
quivered under the torturing nails which pierced his hands 
and feet, that he received the due reward of his deeds, whilst 
he bore witness to the purity and holiness of the spotless 
Lamb of God ! He turns in the anguish of his soul to the 
blessed Jesus. He must have known something of the Sa- 
viour before. Perhaps he had heard him preach, perhaps 
he had witnessed some of his miracles. At all events, he 
knew enough of the truth of God to assure him, that if ever 
his guilty soul was to be saved, it must be alone through 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and repentance toward God ! 
His sorrow for his past life was evidenced by the confession 
that the cruel punishment he was suffering was deserved. 
His faith in Christ, as the only Saviour, was proved by his 
prayer, " Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy 
kingdom." And what was the answer of that bleedincr 
Jesus? He turns upon the poor sinner, compassion beam- 
ing through the films of death, and forgetting his own sor- 
rows, that he might comfort and save a perishing soul, 
" Verily," says he, " to-day shalt thou be with me in Para- 
dise !" He did not say, " Verily, to-day shalt thou be in 



PURGATORY. 



91 



purgatory !" And surely this man was a fit subject for it. 
There was no opportunity of doing penance here. There 
was no time to say a few hundred pater nosters or ave 
marias, he had no money to give Pope Peter ; nothing to 
present to the Prince of the apostles as an inducement to 
offer masses for the repose of his soul ! There was no room 
here for the making of satisfaction ! And, blessed be God, 
there was no need of it ! There was the Saviour at his side, 
pouring out his precious blood, and suffering as the great 
atoninor sacrifice for the sins of the whole world of believers, 
and there was room in that Saviour's heart, and room in 
Paradise too, for the soul of a poor thief, who spent his last 
breath in supplications for mercy ! Would this have been 
the case if the ordeal of purgatory were requisite to fit a 
soul for heaven ? Suppose, for a moment, that the theory of 
the Romish Church were true. Upon such an application 
as that which the poor thief made, we may imagine that 
something like the following dialogue would have ensued. 
" There is the infallible Pope Peter, I have given the keys 
of heaven to him, lie has power to bind and loose !" 
" Peter ?" the agonized thief might well have answered, 
" Infallible Peter? Who is he? Where is he?" " Yonder 
he is, he follows afar off, ashamed because he has perjured 
himself and denied me!" "Oh, is there then no help for 
a poor sin-sick soul, a hell-deserving wretch?" "Surely! 
thou mayest have masses ofix^red for the repose of thy soul, 
i. e. if thou canst pay for them. Here is the beloved disci- 
ple John, and there is the blessed Virgin, my mother ; get 
them enlisted in thy behalf, give thy money to the priests, 
my apostles, and they will offer masses for thee I" "Ah, 
but 1 have no money." " No money ? Verily, I say unto 
thee, to-day shalt thou be in purgatory !'' 

2. I shall not attempt to produce all the texts which might 
fairly be quoted in opposition to this popish tenet, for time 



92 purgaTory. '^ 

would fail me to repeat them. I will, therefore, arrange 
thern in classes, after specifying one passage more. Let it 
be remembered, that it is a doctrine of the church of Rome, 
unblushingly avowed in this day of spiritual light and know- 
ledge, that money, the alms of the faithful, money, can pur- 
chase deliverance from the fires of purgatory, and open the 
gates of heaven to the soul in whose behalf it is paid. In 
other words, money will expedite the sanctification of the 
soul ; and in short supersede the agency of the Holy Spirit. 
ThuSj the gift of God may be purchased with money ! Let 
us see how this accords with Scripture. We read in Acts 
viii. chap, of a certain Simon, a sorcerer, who professed to 
be converted, and was baptized by Philip. The converts 
were visited by Peter and John, and the gifts of the Holy- 
Ghost were conferred upon them by the laying on of the 
apostles' hands. Simon was anxious to obtain this power. 
"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apos- 
tles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, (i. e. miraculous en- 
dowments were conferred,) he offered them money, say- 
ing, give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay 
hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said 
unto him. Thy money perish with thee, because 

THOU hast thought THAT THE GIFT OF GoD MAY BE PUR- 
CHASED M'lTH MONEY ! Thou hast neither part nor lot in 
this matter ; for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 
Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if 
peradventure the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee, 
for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in 
the bond of iniquity." This Scripture is the more emphatic, 
because it is the word of Peter, who, according to Roman- 
ists, was the vicar-general of Jesus Christ, and the prince of 
the apostles ! " Thy money perish with thee !" Here then, 
I have one question to ask, and may the Spirit of God apply 
it with convincing energy to every conscience. ' If the man, 



PURGATORY. 93. 

who offers money in order to buy the gift of God, must 
perish if he repent not of this wickedness, what shall the end 
be of the man, or the men, who presume to sell the gift of 
God for money? May the Lord God open the eyes of 
those who buy and those who sell the gift of God, before 
they and their money perish together ! Look again at this 
passage. The Bible uniformly tells us, that it is the office 
of the Holy Ghost to deliver from sin, to sanctify the soul, and 
prepare it for heaven ; and this is called the gift of God ; it is 
therefore God's prerogative to deliver from sin and from its 
penalty. This mercy he does not sell, he gives it freely to 
all who ask it, but the priests profess to sell it. Now, if 
they could confer the mercy which they pretend to sell, 
they would be selling what is not their own. They sell the 
gift of God. 

3. Again, In opposition to this Popish tenet, we must 
array all those texts which represent salvation as offered 
without money and ivithout price. " Ho, every one that 
thirstelh, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money^ 
come ye, buy and eat, buy wine and milk without money 
and without price!" So says the good gospel of Almighty 
God. What says the gospel of Rome 1 " Pay or perish." 
" No penny no paternoster !" Pay for masses, or burn in 
purgatory ! Says Jesus : " If any man thirst let him come 
unto me and take of the water of life freely." And again, 
" The Spirit and the Bride say. Come; and let him that hear- 
eth say. Come; and whosoever will, let him take the wa- 
ter of life freely ;" i. e. gratuitously, " without money," dec. 
" Ye were not redeemed," says Peter, " with corruptible 
things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the 
Son of God, as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot!" 
Sinners in the church of Rome are redeemed with silver 
and gold, if they are redeemed at all ; masses well paid for 
will cover a multitude of sins, deliver souls from the flames 



94 PURGATORY. 

of purgatory, and purchase the favour of a thrice holy God; 
i. e. if Popery is the gospel. 

4. Again : If the Doctrine of the Romish churchy con- 
cerning purgatory, he true, all those texts, which represent 
the danger of the rich are false. Our Saviour tells us, 
" How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through 
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of God," &c. Not so, if Pope Pius is to be be- 
lieved ; for he confidently assures us that alms and masses 
will help the souls in purgatory. The more money, the 
more masses; and the more masses the better for the pri- 
soner, detained in the fiery ordeal. But the objection may 
be started by some Romanist, " You forget that only the 
souls of the faithful have the privilege of going to purgato- 
ry ; those who die in mortal sin, (and covetousness is con- 
sidered a mortal sin, though not quite so bad as eating meat 
on Friday,) are lost without recovery !" But do you not 
know, my friend, that the covetous man may confess to his 
priest, and the priest will give him absolution, if he is paid 
for it, and will, moreover, administer the sacrament of ex- 
treme unction ; and then there is no danger ! The man will 
have a clear title to purgatory; and he can be hurried 
through the furnace, and come out pure as gold seven times 
tried, provided plenty of gold is left with the ghostly father, 
as an acknowledgment for the masses that are offered up 
for his deliverance. Now if this be so, and what honest 
Romanist will deny it? "how easily shall they that have 
riches enter the kingdom of God !" 

5. Again : In opposition to ih'is golden rule of purgatory, 
we place all those texts which represent the sacrifice of 
Christ as all-su-fficient for the sinner^s salvation, " Christ 
once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might 
bring us to God." " In him we have redemption through 



PURGATORY. 95 

his blood ; the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of 
his grace." (Eph. i. 7.) " To him give all the prophets 
witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him 
shall receive remission of sins." (Acts x. 43.) The apostle 
Paul, after quoting the words of a prophet, " their sins and 
iniquities will I remember no more," adds these words, 
*' Now where the remission of these is, there is no more 
offering for sin." (Heb. x. 17, 18.) How does this agree 
with the offering of the holy sacrifice of the mass, for the 
benefit of souls in purgatory? 

" What is the Catholic doctrine as to the mass 1 
" That in the mass there is offered to God a true, proper, 
and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead."* 

But, Paul says, " Where the remission of sins is, there 
is no more offering for sin." And he assures us, over and 
over again, that Christ has obtained this remission for us, 
by the shedding of his own blood. But, according to this, 
there is more than the blood of Christ necessary ; though the 
Scriptures tell us, " the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from 
all sin," we are gravely assured by the church, which 
claims to be infallible, that purgatory is necessary to 
cleanse us from some sins. From what sins 1 Mortal 
sins 1 No. The blood of Christ must do that ; but from 
venial sins. So, then, the blood of Jesus Christ can purify 
us from mortal sins, but not from venial offences. It can 
wash away great stains, but it cannot take away little ones ; 
purgatory must do that ! What a mistake, the blessed Je- 
sus must have been under, when he cried out on the cross, 
" It is finished." It was not finished. The expiation was only 
begun on Calvary. It is finished in purgatory. But hark ! 
a voice from heaven! "I heard a voice from heaven, say- 
ing unto me, Write, blessed are the dead that die in the 

* Grds. C. D. 51. 



96 PURGATORY. 

Lord from henceforth. Yea! sailh the Spirit, that they 
may rest from their labours." They rest ; tlien they cannot 
be in purgatory, for tliere is no rest there! And what is 
the united sona: of the redeemed 1 " Unto him that hath 
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood ; 
to him be j^Iory for ever." Now this is not enough. Ro- 
man Catholics, who expect to go to purgatory, must see 
that there is somethinfr wanting; "and to the fires and 
pains of purgatory that have purified us from all venial sins ; 
and to the alms, and prayers, and masses of saints and 
priests who have expedited our deliverance; and to ourselves, 
who have thus made satisfaction for our sins ; to Christ, to 
purgatory, to the saints and priests, and to ourselves, be 
glory for ever! Amen." 

But I must proceed to the next general head ; for if I 
were to go on until I had exhausted the Scripture evidences 
against purgatory, I should far exceed your patience and 
my own strength. 

III. Let us examine the testimony of tradition. On this 
head I shall be more brief. My chief stress I shall always 
lay upon the Scriptural argument. If that is on my side, 
Roman Catholics may make as much out of their traditions 
as they please. If tradition contradicts the Bible, away with 
it. If it illustrates and confirms the Scripture, t am willing 
to listen to it, but only as secondary and inferior testimony. 
I read in the word of God of certain men, who made tra- 
dition the main pillar by which their doctrines and practices 
were supported ; and the Saviour, so far from commending 
them for it, denounces them as hypocrites, because they 
" rejected the commandment of God, that they might keep 
their own tradition." Let us refer again to the Grds. of C. D. 

" How do you ground the belief of purgatory upon tra- 
dition ? 

" Because, both the Jewish church, long before our Sa- 



PURGATORY. 97 

viour's coming, and the Christian church, from the very be- 
ginning, in all ages, and in all nations, offered prayers and 
sacrifice for the repose and relief of the faithful departed ; as 
appears, in regard to the Jews, from 2 Mac. xii., where this 
practice is approved of, which books of Maccabees, the 
church, says St. Augustine, L. 18. de Civ. Dei. c. accounts 
canonical, though the Jews do not. In regard to the Christian 
church, the same is evident, from all the fathers, and the 
most ancient liturgies. Now such prayers as these evi- 
dently imply the belief of a purgatory; for souls in hea- 
ven stand in no need of prayers, and those in hell cannot 
be bettered by them." (Grds., p. 59.) 

In place of any direct proof, either from the Hebrew Scrip- 
tures or from the New Testament, that it is the duty of the 
living to pray for the dead, we are offered a meagre attestation 
from the Apocrypha, which the church of Rome has taken 
the precaution to pronounce canonical. " If Judas had not 
hoped," says the author of the history of the Maccabees, in 
his second book, that they who were slain should have risen 
again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead." 
Now we cannot blame Pope Pius, or his priest, for adducing 
no evidence from the genuine Scriptures; because there is no- 
thing in them that could possibly serve his purpose. He has 
done what he could, and mortal man can do no more. But 
is it not strange that our author, in the very same paragraph 
in which he stickles for tradition, should reject tradition? 
The Jews, according to his own statement, did not acknow- 
ledge the books of ihe Maccabees as inspired productions, 
and therefore refused to give them a place among the genu- 
ine Scriptures ; but the church, i. e. tie church of Rome, 
considers them canonical, and looks upon them as divinely 
inspired writings. Then the church of Rome does a great 
deal more for Judas Maccabeus than he ever expected ; for 
at the close. of his second book, he writes in the following 



98 PURGATORY. 

style, evidently showingr, that he never dreamed that the 
mantle of infallibility and inspiration would ever be thrown 
over his shoulders. " If I have done well, and as is fitting 
the story, it is that which I desired ; but if slenderly and 
meanly, it is that which I could attain unto." In plain En- 
glish, he meant to say, " that he had done his best ; that the 
work was all his own, and must stand or fall by its own 
merits." And then, as if forever to put an end to all con- 
troversy on the question of his inspiration, he concludes his 
history with these words : " For, as it is hurtful to drink 
wine or water alone ; and as wine, mingled with water, is 
pleasant, and delighteth the taste, even so, speech finely 
framed, delighteth the ears of them that read the story. And 
here shall be an end." Now, if it is hurtful to drink water 
alone, then I cannot conceive how father Matthews, who is 
effecting so much for the temperance cause in Ireland, can, 
with a clear conscience, recommend the cold water society. 
I suppose his faith in Judas Maccabeus must have been con- 
siderably impaired, since he has become the apostle of the 
temperance reformation in that country ! 

But, to return to tradition. I can furnish traditions that 
are even more to the point than this quotation from Judas 
Maccabeus ; and that have quite as much authority as the 
Apocrypha. The authorities to which I shall refer, have 
this farther advantage about them, that they are very an- 
cient ; and, as Papists lay great stress upon the antiquity of 
their doctrines and practices, they certainly must not reject 
the auxiliaries, whom I will bring to their help. There is 
no doubt that they can plead antiquity in favour of pur- 
gatory. The question is often asked us by Romanists : 
"Where was your religion before Luther?" The answer is, 
" In the New Testament." And, if we are asked again, 
" Where was the Protestant church before Luther ?" I an- 
swer. In the valleys of Piedmont, among the Waldenses and 



PURGATORY. 99 

Albigenses, and on the hills of Scotland, among the Cul- 
dees ! There were more than seven thousand there, who 
had not bowed the knee to Baal, nor kissed his images ! 
They wandered about, like their fathers of old, in sheep-skins, 
and goat-skins, and in the dens and caves of the earth ! 
They were persecuted, tortured, and inhumanly butchered 
in cold blood. I need not say by whom ! And now, when 
we ask Romanists, " Where was your purgatory before 
Gregory the Great?" they can answer, with perfect truth, 
" In the writings of heathen poets and philosophers I" Let 
not my Roman Catholic friends say, that this is all a bur- 
lesque upon their favourite doctrine ! Cardinal Bellarmine 
himself, actually founds an argument in behalf of purga- 
tory upon this very circumstance ; that the heathen be- 
lieved it. (Bell, de Purg., lib. i. c. 11.) 

Now, if men will take their notions of Christianity from 
such teachers, no wonder if they depart from the simplicity 
of the gospel I Plato believed in a purgatory. Let me give 
you a brief synopsis o^ his theory, and you will find where 
the Romish church borrowed theirs. 

" Eusebius relates of Plato, that he divided mankind into 
three states; some, who, having purified themselves by phi- 
losophy, and excelled in holiness of life, enjoy an eternal 
felicity in the islands of the blessed, without any labour or 
trouble, which neither is it possible for any words to ex- 
press, nor any thoughts to conceive. Others, that had lived 
exceedingly wicked, and who, therefore, seemed incapable 
of cure, he supposed were, at their death, thrown down 
headlong into hell, there to be tormented for ever. But, now, 
besides these, he imagined there was a middle sort, who, 
though they had sinned, yet had repented of it, and, there- 
fore, seemed to be in a curable condition ; and these, he 
thought, went down, for some time, to hell too, to be purged 
and absolved by grievous torments ,* but that after that, they 



100 PURGATORY. 

should be delivered from it, and attain to honours according 
to the dignity of their benefactors."* 

If you turn to the works of Homer and Virgil, you will 
find in the twelfth book of the Odyssey, and in the sixth of 
the ^neid, that the heathen did constantly hold, with Pope 
Pius, that there is a purgatory, a middle state ; and that 
the souls therein detained, are helped by the prayers, alms, 
and sacrifices of the faithful. It is true, the heathen knew 
nothing of the sacrifice of the mass. That is an original 
invention of the Popish church. 

The ceremonies used for the deliverance of souls, as de- 
scribed by those poets, are so very similar to the Popish rites 
now practised, that if the Romish church would only confer 
the same honour upon Homer and Virgil, that has been given 
to Judas Maccabeus, and pronounce the works of these hea- 
then poets canonical, they would have much stronger au- 
thority than they have ever yet obtained in behalf of purga- 
tory ; and, in addition to this, they would gain four hundred 
years antiquity, not only against the heretical unbelievers of 
this doctrine, but against Christianity itself. Now, when it 
is remembered, that many of the early fathers of the Chris- 
tian church were brought up in the Platonic philosophy, be- 
fore their conversion, we can more readily understand how 
it was, that, atler they became Christians, they hazarded 
conjectures relative to the state of the soul, during the pe- 
riod of its separation from the body, very similar to their 
former heathen notions on this subject. The truth is, when 
Christianity had become popular, and its profession was 
fashionable, the heathen crowded into the church, without 
ever having experienced any thing of the renovating power 
of the religion they professed ; and, consequently, brought 
with them their crude pagan notions ; and purgatory among 

* See M*Gavin»s Prot, Vol. i. p. 540, 



PURGATORY. JQI 

the rest. As to tlie fathers, then, I admit that after the fourth 
century, and even earlier, you may find passages in their 
writings that favour the practice of " praying for the dead," 
though it required several long centuries before the doctrine 
of purgatory could be moulded into its present shape. 

But I cannot pass over this matter without showing that the 
oZc?es^ fathersof the Christian church are as free in their writings 
from any mention of purgatory as the Bible itself. Here then 
the commentator on Pope Pius's confession of faith and myself 
are fairly at issue. He asserts that all the fathers are in favour 
of this doctrine.* I am sorry that his reverence says so, 
because I can prove the contrary. I suppose, however, 
we must in charity construe his assertion as a rhetorical 
flourish — a hyperbolical expression ; the object of which 
is a pious fraud, designed to establish the faithful in their 
creed, especially as pious frauds are distinctly authorized in 
the standard Roman Catholic works on theology. Witness 
St. Ligori, who was canonized in 1816, i. e. declared by a 
papal bull to be one of the saints, whom the faithful may 
invoke or worship. He speaks thus with reference even to a 
stronger case than the mistake of Pope Pius. To swear 
with equivocation, where there is a good reason^ and equi- 
vocation itself is lawful, is not wrong. And if a person 
swears without a good reason^ it is not to be considered a 
perjury , since, in one sense of the word, and, according to 
a mental restriction, he swears what is true."}" 

After this, who will find fault with his reverence for say- 
ing that all the fathers speak in favour of purgatory 1 Why, 
if he were to swear to it, in one sense it would still be true, 
even though the proof were point blank against him. 

Now, if all the fathers bear testimony in favour of pur- 

* Grds. p. 59. 

f Synopsis of Ligori's Moral Theolog-y, p. 159. New York. 1836. 

9* 



102 PURGATORY. 

gatory, how is it that Clement, the cotemporary of the 
apostles, should use siich language as this in his second 
epistle to the Corinthians. 

" Let us therefore repent whilst we are yet upon the earth ; 
for we are as clay in the hand of the artificer. For as the 
potter, if he nnake a vessel, and it be turned amiss in his 
hands, or broken, again forms it anew ; but if he have gone 
so far as to throw it into the furnace of fire, he can no more 
bring any remedy to it ; so we, whilst we are in this world, 
should repent with our whole heart for whatsoever evil we 
have done in the flesh, while we have yet the time of re- 
pentance, that we may be saved by the Lord. For after 
we shall have departed out of this world, we shall no longer 
be able either to confess our sins, or repent in the other."* 

Ignatius, who suffered martyrdom in the early part of the 
second century, and who was chosen bishop of Antioch 
about the year 70, speaks as follows in his epistle to the 
Magnesians. "Seeing then all things have an end, there 
are these two indifferently set before us, death and life; and 
every one shall depart unto his proper place."f 

Ignatius speaks here of two stales, one of life, the other 
of death, and says not one word about " purgatory." If he 
had known any thing of it as an article of Christian faith, 
he would have said something of the additional third stale 
which figures so conspicuously in the theology of the Ro- 
mish church. Athenagoras, who lived in the second cen- 
tury, wrote a treatise of about forty pages, (which is in my 
possession,) professedly on the Resurrection of the Dead, 
but not one word is said in it about purgatory, and not one 
single passage can be adduced that alludes to it in the most 
distant manner. 

Augustine afliirms as follows : " Non est ulli ullus medius 

*Apost. Fathers, p. 273. Hartford, 1834. f Ibid. p. 126. 



PURGATORY. 



103 



locus, ut possit esse nisi cum diabolo, qui non est cum 
Christo." i. e. There is no middle place for any one ; so that 
he who is not with Christ, cannot be any where but with 
the devil ! " Tertium locum penitus ignoramus, imo nee 
esse in Scripturis Sanctis invenimus." i. e. We are utterly 
ignorant of any third place, for we find it not in Scripture.* 
Why is it, if all the fathers bear testimony to this doc- 
trine of purgatory, that we are not furnished with quotations 
from Irenaeus, and from Justin and Hypolitus and Polycarp, 
and the other fathers of the primitive church? Simply be- 
cause they say nothing about it. But there is a passage 
in Cyprian to which we were referred some time ago, and 
which I promised to quote in its proper place. I will do so 
now, and after adducing another sentence or two from the same 
father, I will dismiss the subject of tradition for the present. 
Cyprian, speaking of those who had fallen away in time 
of persecution, and who had consented to offer sacrifice to 
the heathen gods, and to icorship their images, tells Anto- 
nianus what policy ought, in his opinion, to be pursued with 
the lapsed, and in the course of his remarks, uses this lan- 
guage. I translate from my German copy of Cyprian, 
which has the Pope's recommendation. " It is one thing 
for a man to present himself for pardon, another thing to 
come to glory; it is one thing for him who is cast into pri- 
son not to come out until he has paid the uttermost farthing ; 
another thing forthwith to receive the reward of faith and vir- 
tue ; it is one thing for a man to be tormented with protracted 
pain on account of his sins, and for a long time to be purified 
and refined by the fire ; and another to have all his sins 
blotted out by suffering martyrdom ; finally, it is one thing 
to wait for the sentence of the Lord, on the day of judg- 

* Aug. de Peccat. Remiss. Lib. 1, Cap. 28. See Illustrations 
of Popery, p. 231. New York, 1838. 



104 PURGATORY. 

ment, and another to be immediately crowned by the Lord."* 
This is the passage in full. The context shows to my mind 
clearly, that Cyprian here has reference to the allegori- 
cal fire of penitential austerities through which the lapsed 
were required to pass by the early discipline of the church. 
And I can prove this by citing another passage from the 
same author, which unequivocally confirms this view. 

" When once we have departed hence, there is no longer 
any place for repentance, no longer any effectiveness of 
satisfaction. Here life is either lost or held : here we may 
provide for our eternal salvation by the worship of God and 
the fruitfulness of faith. Let not any one, then, be retarded 
either by sins or by length of years, from attaining to salva- 
tion. To a person while he remains in this world, repent- 
ance is never too late. Those who seek after and under- 
stand the truth, may always have an easy access to the 
indulgence of God. Even to the very end of your life, pray 
for your sins, and by confession and faith, implore the one 
only true God. To him who confesses, pardon is freely 
granted : to him who believes, a salutary indulgence is 
granted from the divine pity : and immediately after death, 
he passes to a blessed irmnortalityy^ 

So much for Cyprian^ s belief in purgatory. 

III. There is one question more, and t/.en I shall have 
done. 

" How do you ground the belief of purgatory upon reason ? 

"Because reason clearly teaches these two things: 1st, That 
all and every sin, how small soever, deserves punishment. 



* SaemmtUche Aechte Werke des hell. Cacil. Thascius Cypri- 
anus, p. 228, vol. 5, der Saemmtlichen Werke der Kirchen Vacter. 
Kempten, 1832. This work has the Tope's letter of approbation 
in full. 

f Cyp. ad Dem. Kirchen Vaeter, vol. 6, p. 184, 



PURGATORY. 105 

2dly, That some sins are so small, either through the levity 
of the matter, or for want of full deliberation in the action, 
as not to deserve eternal punishment. From whence it is 
plain, that besides the place of eternal punishment, which 
we call hell, there must be also a place of temporal punish- 
ment for such as die with little sins, and this we call pur- 
gatory."* 

That all sin, without exception, merits punishment, is 
certainly clear to reason, aided as it is by the light of con- 
science. The second proposition, however, I cannot en- 
dorse. 

So vsoori as I know from the word of God so much of his 
character and attributes as I find revealed in this book, my 
reason tells me that no offence committed against infinite 
goodness and holiness, can be a little sin. Sin is no trifle. 
My reason, enlightened by eternal truth, convinces me that 
the guilt of every deliberate violation of the holy law, enact- 
ed by the great Jehovah, is to be measured by the perfec- 
tions of the lawgiver. If he is a finite being, the guilt is 
proportionate; if he is infinite, so is the guilt of the trans- 
gressor, and infinite guilt demands commensurate punish- 
ment. When the Papist has proved Jehovah to be a little 
God, it will be time enough to speak of little sins. " What !" 
you ask, " do you believe that God will send a man to the 
endless torments of hell on account of a few mistakes in 
judgment or in practice?" I believe, my friend, that God 
will surely keep his word, and that every one, who is a 
proud rejecter of the atonement made by the Saviour, will 
assuredly perish. If he despises the Lord Jesus Christ, if 
he does not love him, he will be accursed, and he will richly 
deserve to be for ever accursed ! If his soul is in a state of 
determined alienation from God, (and it is so, if with his 

* Grounds Cath. Doct. p. 6B. 



106 PURGATORY. 

whole heart, he does not embrace Jesus Christ as his Sa- 
viour,) there is no hope for him. If, on the contrary, he is 
a beUever, he is passed from death unto life, he is no longer 
under condemnation. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses 
him from all sin, and leaves no work for the fires of purga- 
tory. Hence, from my very soul, I reject the closing in- 
ference, as repugnant to every sound principle of reason. 

Is it in accordance with right reason, to suppose that the 
blood of Jesus Christ, which, according to our Roman 
Catholic friends, is able to cleanse from the guilt of mortal 
sins, (the most atrocious which can be committed,) is not 
sufficient to purify the soul from lesser stains? Is this rea- 
son? Is it reasonable to suppose that He, who spared not 
his own well-beloved Son, but offered him up as a propitia- 
tion for the sins of the whole world, (so rigorous was he in 
exacting the claims of his justice,) will nevertheless remit 
merited punishment upon the payment of money 7 Is this 
reason ? No, it is blasphemy ! Is it in accordance with 
reason to suppose that the mere ringing of bells on a cer- 
tain day (Nov. 2,) can help the souls in purgatory? This 
is consummate folly. I find an interesting reference to this 
practice in a work written by Anthony Gavin, a Roman 
Catholic priest, who renounced Popery A. D. 1715. Speak- 
ing of practices in Italy and Spain, he says in substance as 
follows : " As to the 2d day of November, which is the day 
of the souls of purgatory, in which every priest and friar 
says three masses for the delivery of so many souls out of 
the pains of it, they generally say that from 3 o'clock of 
November 1st, (All Saints' day,) till 3 in the afternoon of 
the next day, all the souls are out of purgatory, and entirely 
free from the pains of it. During these twenty-four hours, 
they ring the bells of all the churches and convents, which 
they say is a great help to the souls." 

Pity that the bells should ever stop ringing, if this suffrage 



PURGATORY. 107 

can purchase a holiday for the Christians in purgatory. It 
is hard, that after diverting themselves for twenty-four hours, 
they should have to go back to the fire, so soon as the bells 
have rung their annual peal. But, let us hear Mr. Gavin a 
little farther. 

" On that day alone, the priests and friars get more 
money than in two months' time beside ; for every family, 
and private persons too, give yellow wax candles to the 
church, and money for masses ; and during these twenty- 
four hours the churches are crowded with people," &c. 

It seems Mr. Gavin's mind was also under the strange 
hallucination which afflicts so many Protestants and Papists 
too, causing them to believe that money is paid to the priests 
to induce them to help souls out of purgatory by their 
masses and prayers. We stand corrected, however. The 
priests do not sell masses or prayers, not they ; but surely 
he who performs them may, without reproach, receive a re- 
muneration, especially when it is remembered that, " like 
other men, he must ever remain uncertain respecting the 
efficacy of his prayers." But this is digression, we will 
return to Mr. Gavin. 

" On the same pretence, there is a man in every parish 
that goes in the dark of the evening through all the streets 
with a bell, praying for the souls and asking charity for 
them in every house, always ringing the bell as a suffrage." 

The duke of Ossuna made a witty repartee to Pope Inno- 
cent XL, on this subject. The duke was ambassador for 
the king of Spain at Rome, and had a large bell on the top 
of his house, to gather his domestics when he was going 
out. Many cardinals lived by his palace, and they com- 
plained to the Pope, that the ambassador's bell disturbed 
them ; (for the duke used to order the bell to be rung when 
he knew the cardinals were at home,) and the Pope spoke 
immediately to the duke, and asked his excellency why he 



jQQ PURGATORY. 

kept SO big a bell ? To which the duke answered, that he 
was a very good Christian and a good friend to the souls in 
purgatory, to whom the ringing of the bell was a suffrage. 
The Pope took the raillery in good part, and recommended 
the use of some other signal to call his servants, suggesting 
that if he was so good a friend to the souls in purgatory, he 
would do them more service by selling the bell, and giving 
the money for masses. 

The next day the bell was taken down and a large can- 
non was substituted in its place, with which twelve volleys 
were fired every morning, and twelve at midnight, which 
was the time the cardinals were at home. So they made 
a second complaint to the Pope ; upon this his holiness spoke 
to the duke again ; but he replied, that the bell was to be 
sold, and the money to be given to the priests for masses, 
and that he had ordered the cannon as a suffrage for the 
souls of the poor soldiers that had died in the defence of the 
Holy See. This withering sarcasm affronted his holiness 
not a little, but the duke kept his cannon notwithstanding.* 

I cannot conceive how any intelligent man can, from his 
heart, give credit to the popish doctrine of purgatory, any 
more than the great cardinal, who being disposed one day 
to quiz his chaplain, put this question to him. " How many 
masses will serve to fetch a soul out of purgatory ?" The 
chaplain, as might be expected, was unable to reply, when 
the cardinal solved the difficulty by telling him, "That it 
would take just as many masses to fetch a soul out of pur- 
gatory, as snowballs to heat an oven !" 

It is inconceivable how any Romish priest should 
have the audacity to deny that masses for souls in pur- 
gatory are retailed by their pardon-mongers. Have we 
not heard of purgatorian societies? And is it not notorious 

* A. Gavin's Master Key to Popery, p. 157, 158. Cincin. 1833. 



PURGATORY. | qq 

that, even in enlightened Dublin, there is at least one flour- 
ishing Purgatorian society ? I have before me a constitu- 
tion of one of these associations. It is too lengthy to be in- 
serted entire; but the following extract may serve at least 
as a sample. 

" Purgatorian Society. 

Instituted July 1, 1813, and held in St, Jameses Chapel. 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for 
the deadj that they may be loosed from their sins. Mace, 
xii. 46. 

" The members who compose the society of the office for 
the dead, commenced on the above day, at the said place, 
adopting the spirit and meaning of the above sacred text, 
and wishing, in conformity to the divine precepts of the 
Holy Catholic church, to extend their charitable views be- 
yond the grave, by relieving, as far as in them lies, the suf- 
fering souls in purgatory, and inviting all tender-hearted 
Catholics, who have a feeling sensibility of the duty they 
owe their departed parents, relations, and friends, who pro- 
bably may stand more in need of their commiseration at 
present, than at any period of their life time, to assist in the 
charitable and pious purpose of shortening the duration of 
their sufferings by the most easy means imaginable, have 
agreed to, and adopted the following rules :" 

Rule 1, relates to the regulation of the affairs of the in- 
stitution. 

" Rule 2. That every well-disposed Catholic wishing to 

contribute to the relief of the suffering souls in purgatory, 

shall pay one penny per week, which shall be appropriated 

to the procuring of masses to be offered up for the repose of 

10 



110 PURGATORY. 

the souls of the deceased parents, relations, and friends of 
all the subscribers to the institution in particular, and the 
faithful departed in general. 

" Rule 3. That on the first Monday of every month a nnass 
will be offered up in the parish chapel of St. James, at ten 
o'clock, for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the sub- 
scribers of this society." 

Rule 4, relates to the election of the officers of the associ- 
ation. 

Rule 5, provides that every subscriber must purchase a 
copy of these rules. 

^^ Rule 6. That the spiritual benefits of this institution 
shall be conferred in the following manner, viz. Each sub- 
scriber shall be entitled to an office at the time of their 
death," (I cannot endorse either the sentiments or grammar 
of these rules,) " another at the expiration of a month, and one 
at the end of twelve months after their decease ; also, the 
benefit of masses which shall be procured to be offered, by 
the money arising from subscriptions, and which shall be 
extended to their parents, relations, and ll'iends in the fol- 
lowing order : that is to say, their fathers, mothers, bro- 
thers, sisters, uncles, aunts ; and if married, husbands, wives 
and children, if they have any departed who lived to matu- 
rity. 

" Rule 7. That every member of the office for the dead, 
who serves the society in the capacit}'^ of superior, shall, at 
the time of his death, be entitled to three masses, to be offer- 
ed for the repose of his soul ; and also, every member who 
serves the office of rector, shall be entitled to the benefit of 
two masses, and every subscriber, without distinction, shall 
be entitled to the benefit of one mass each, provided that 
such member or subscriber shall die a natural death, be six 
months a subscriber to the institution, and be clear of all dues 
at the time of their departure ; that care shall be taken, by 



PURGATORY. m 

the surviving superior and rectors, that such soul-masses are 
punctually obtained, agreeable to the interest and meaning 
of this institution." 

Rules 8 and 9, relate to the making of by-laws, &c. 

*' Subscriptions received and subscribers registered at the 
chapel on every Wednesday evening, from seven o'clock 
until nine, and in the school-room adjoining the chapel, on 
the first Sunday of February, May, August, and Novem- 
ber, being quarterly days, from ten o'clock until one. The 
books to be opened for the inspection of subscribers. 

" Price threepence. J. Coyne, printer, 74 Cook street." 

According to this precious document it appears that "the 
most easy means imaginable" of shortening the duration of 
the sufferings of souls in purgatory, is to contribute a penny 
per week to pay for masses ! I wonder what the Rev. Dr. 
Baines, Bishop of Siga, &c., would say to this? It seems 
to favour the idea somewhat, that the priests, for a sum of 
money, claim the power of helping souls out of purgatory. 
And now, look at the light in which this doctrine places the 
priests of the Romish church. They profess to believe that 
the souls of members of their flock are weltering in the 
flames of purgatory, that they have power to mitigate their 
torment by saying the proper number of masses, and recom- 
mending them to the prayers of the faithful, and yet they 
will do neither unless they are paid for it ! What ! Do 
they believe that souls are in such misery, and that they 
have it in their power to relieve them, and can they coolly 
wait till they are paid, before they use the means? Tell 
me, is this any part of the gospel of Jesus Christ? That 
gospel, which was to be especially adapted to the wants of 
the poor ? 

Every dollar which is paid for masses in behalf of souls 
in purgatory, is a swift witness against the validity of all 



112 PURGATORY. 

priestly pardons. Are not the priests of Rome sworn to 
believe that they have power to forgive sins? The Council 
of Trent explicitly declares, " Whoever shall affirm that 
the priest's sacramental absolution is not a judicial act, but 
only a ministry to pronounce and declare that the sins of 
the parly confessing are forgiven, &c., let him be accursed." 
(See Coun. of Trent. Can. 9. Works of Satisfaction.) 
We are told over and over again in the decrees of this Tri- 
dentine Conventicle, that the priests " sit as judges in the 
Court of Conscience;" in short, they claim to have power 
from Christ to forgive sins as fully as he did himself. They 
are also sworn to believe that there is a purgatory in which 
souls, not fully purged, are detained, and can be assisted by 
masses, offerings, &c. (Sess. 25.) 

Now, these two articles of faith are sadly at variance. If 
purgatory be true, their pardons must be false, and if these 
pardons are valid, purgatory is annihilated. According to 
the Romish tenets, baptism, penance, masses, indulgences, 
and extreme unction avail towards the forgiveness of sins. 
Now, when Christ forgave sins, the pardoned soul was at 
once taken to glory. Witness the case of Lazarus, who 
"was taken to Abraham's bosom ; also the penitent thief on 
the cross. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and 
for ever ; he is no respecter of persons ; his pardons must 
ever remain the same. I v,^ould ask, are the priests' par- 
dons the same as Christ's? If they are, the souls of the 
pardoned go forthwith to heaven, and are blessed from 
henceforth ; and then what becomes of purgatory ? But if 
they be not at once taken to heaven, it follows that the 
priests' pardons are different from Christ's, and therefore 
must be false; and these pardons being deceptious, and 
leaving the soul under all its sin and guilt, and under wrath, 
they could not go to purgatory ; and if they cannot make 



PURGATORY. 



113 



out a clear title either to heaven or to purgatory, whither do 
they go? 

Look now, my brethren, at this dilemma. Is not the in- 
ference clear as noon-day? Lest any man should doubt, 
listen to what the priests tell us, and openly tell us by their 
masses. Yes, all the priests on earth, as with one mouth, 
declare (though they are sworn to believe their pardons as 
good as Christ's,) that the whole of them are false ! False ! 
Ay, false, every one ! ! But how so ? Do they not declare 
when the Pope himself, their great head and leader, and of 
course the best prepared, dies, that it is the duty of the faith- 
ful everywhere to pray for his deliverance from purgatory? 
Do not all his clergy proceed to say masses for him, and 
obtain offerings to extricate his holiness from the fire? Sirs, 
this has not been done in a corner! ! ! Is not this simple 
fact equivalent to an open declaration that he did not go to 
heaven? And if the vicar-general of Christ, the Great 
Head of the apostolic church. His Holiness, goes to pur- 
gatory, what must the pardons he dispensed be worth? His 
priests give him all the consolations of the church previous 
to his departure ; they anoint him and absolve him, but not- 
withstanding their oil and their absolves, his holiness must 
go to purgatory. This is proof positive that all their par- 
dons differ from Christ's; if so, the)^ cannot be true; then 
they must be false — utterly false ! 

So then, if these pardons be divine, none who get them 
can go to purgatory, and if so, all the cash made by assist- 
ing souls out of the fire, ought to be disgorged by the priests 
and handed back to the faithful. But, if this is out of the 
question, and if the purgatory scheme is too lucrative to be 
so easily abandoned, then the other horn of the dilemma 
presents itself, and the priests must confess that their par- 
dons are assuredly false ; for who would ever think of send- 
ing a pardoned soul to purgatory ? 

10* 



114 PURGATORY. 

Now, be these pardons true or false, they necessarily an- 
nihilate purgatory; for, if false, tliey who get them go not 
to purgatory, nor to heaven, but to hell, and that for ever; 
if true, they go straight to heaven as Lazarus and the peni- 
tent thief, and all the dead, who die in the Lord, and who 
are blessed from henceforth, for tliey rest from their labours; 
they go to Paradise and not to purgatory; and so if neither 
the righteous nor the wicked go to it, it must lie waste and 
untenanted, or have no existence at all. But if it is a non- 
entity, and if the Pope and all the faithful, for whom so 
many masses are said, go neither to purgatory nor yet to 
Paradise, whither, alas ! must they go? 

Lfet our Roman Catholic brethren think on these things 
ere it be too late. 

I cannot conclude without most earnestly and affection- 
ately entreati[)g you all, to give no heed to the seducing 
spirits that would lead you away from the Saviour. Believe 
me, and if you will not believe me, believe God's own word, 
that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. Oh ! 
your time and mine is fast drawing to a close, the end of all 
things is at hand. Go, then, I beseech you, whilst salvation 
is freely offered. Go, accept the mercy which is tendered 
without money and without price ! Take it from the Sa» 
viour's hand, and from no other, and God grant that you 
and I may be saved at last, even though it should be so as 
hy fire* Amen! 



LECTURE IV. 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 
Matt. iv. 10. 

" GET THEE HENCE, SATAN : FOR IT IS WRITTEN, THOU SHALT 
WORSHIP THE LORD THY GOD, AND HIM ONLY SHALT THOU 
SERVE." 

In entering upon the consideration of the question, whe- 
ther the worship of saints is authorized by Scripture or not, 
we should all feel the importance of decision. It is not of 
small moment whether the practice of the Romish church, 
in this matter, be right or wrong ; for the subject is inti- 
mately connected with the worship of God, and affects, most 
materially, the mode of the sinner's approach to him. If it 
is right to invoke departed saints ; if God has commanded 
us to wait upon them, then Protestants are guilty of gross 
disobedience in refusing to call upon them ; but if there is 
no warrant in Scripture for the practice, and especially, if 
the revealed will of God is decidedly opposed to the inter- 
vention of the saints, as mediators or helpers, then all the 
worship that is offered them must be hateful to God, and 
ruinous to the souls of men. The subject before us is, 
therefore, one of practical interest. The inquiry is nothing 
less than, "How am I to approach God with acceptance? 
fjow am I to pray to him ?' Is it through the Lord Jesus 



110 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

Christ, as the one, the only mediator ? or through him, and 
the saints in heaven? Through one advocate, or through a 
host of advocates? The Lord guide us by his good Spirit 
into the truth in this important inquiry. 

Papists distinguish the worship which they offer to God, 
the Virgin Mary, and the saints, by the terms — latria, hy- 
perdulia, and dulia. 

In order to give the Roman Catholic side of the question 
all possible advantage, I will state their argument in their 
own language. 

1. Concerning the invocation of saints, the Council of 
Trent teaches as follows : " The Holy Council commands 
all bishops, and others, who have the care and charge of 
teaching, that, according to the practice of the Catholic and 
apostolic church, received from the first beginning of the 
Christian religion, the consent of venerable fathers, and the 
decrees of holy councils, they labour with diligent assiduity 
to instruct the faithful concerning the invocation and inter- 
cession of the saints, &c., teaching them that the saints, 
who reign together with Christ, offer their prayers to God 
for men ,• that it is a good and useful thing suppliantly to 
invoke them, and to flee to their prayers, help, and assistance, 
because of the benefits bestowed by God, through his Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord, who is our only Redeemer and Sa- 
viour ; and that those are men of impious sentiments who 
deny that the saints, who enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, 
are to be invoked ; or who affirm that they do not pray for 
men ; or to beseech them to pray for us is idolatry ; or that 
it is contrary to the word of God, and opposed to the honour 
of Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and men ; 
or that it is foolish to supplicate, verbally or mentally, those 
who reign in heaven."* 

• Concil. Trid. Sess. xxv. 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 117 

The Grounds ofCath. Doct., p. 68, contain the following 
words of wisdom : — 

" What do you mean by the invocation of saints? 

" I mean such petitions or requests as are made to desire 
their prayers and intercession for us. 

"Do Catholics pray to saints? 

*' If, by praying to saints, we mean addressing ourselves 
to them, as to the authors or disposers of grace and glory, 
or in such manner as to suppose they have any power to 
help us, independently of God's good will and pleasure, we 
do not pray to them ; but if, by praying to saints, we mean 
no more than desiring them to pray to God for us, in this 
sense we hold it both good and profitable to pray to the 
saints." 

I shall postpone my remarks upon this second answer, 
until the proofs which are advanced in support of the prac- 
tice have been examined. 

" How do you prove that it is good and profitable to de- 
sire the saints and angels in heaven to pray to God for us ? 

" Because it is good and profitable to desire the servants 
of God here upon earth to pray for us ; ' for the prayer of 
a righteous man availeth much.' James v. 16. Moses, by 
his prayers, obtained mercy for the children of Israel. 
Exod. xxxii. 11, 14. And Samuel, by his prayers, defeated 
the Philistines. 1 Sam. vii. 8 — 10. Hence, St. Paul, in al 
most all his epistles, desires the faith fijl to pray for him ; and 
God himself commanded Eliphas and his two friends, to go 
to Job, that Job should pray for them, promising to accept 
of his prayers." Job xlii. 8. 

We do not deny that it is right to desire an interest in the 
prayers of God's people, upon earth ; but Protestants hold 
that there is a vast difference between applying to the saints 
on earth, and invoking the departed spirits of just men made 
perfect. When we go to a friend, in whose piety we have 



IIQ INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

confidence, and ask him to pray for us, we have Scripture 
for the practice. " The efTectual, fervent prayer of a righ- 
teous man avaiieth much ;" but we have no such Bible war- 
rant to authorize us to invoke departed saints. The Bible 
says not one word about the duty of asking the patriarchs, 
and prophets, and apostles, and martyrs, and, above all, the 
blessed Virgin, to intercede for us. Besides, there is a wide 
difference between praying to a saint in heaven, and asking 
a saint on earth to pray to God for us. But, in the Grounds 
of Cath. Doct., we are asked the following question: " Now, 
if it be acceptable to God, and good and profitable to our- 
selves, to seek the prayers and intercession of God's ser- 
vants here on earth, must it not be much more so to seek 
the prayers and intercession of the saints in heaven ; since 
both their charity for us, and their intercession with God, 
is much greater now than when they were here upon earth ?" 

Notwithstanding the great emphasis which Pope Pius's 
priest lays upon this question, (and from the style in which 
it is propounded, it evidently appeared, to his mind, to settle 
the whole controversy, ) there are several very serious diffi- 
culties in the way ; and, before I shall ever invoke the 
saints whose names are on the Roman calendar, these diffi- 
culties must be removed. 

1. In the first place, it is not proved, that the saints in 
heaven are within hearing. Now this is a very important 
matter, as every one must allow. How shall St. Peter, or 
St. Winifred, help me if they cannot hear me ? I think it 
more than probable, that the saints in heaven are ignorant 
of our wants, and cannot hear our prayers ; because I read 
in the word of God : " The living know that they shall die ; 
but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any 
more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." Ec. 
ix. 5. On this principle, I suppose it was, that Elijah said 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. ng 

to Elisha, " ,^sk tchat I shall do for thee, befoke I be ta- 
ken away from thee.''' 2 Kings ii. 9. 

2. And then, there is another serious obstacle in the way. 
It is certain the saints cannot hear all who call upon them, 
unless they are omnipresent. How, e. g., shall the Virgin 
Mary hear all the suppliants, who invoke her at all hours 
of the day, and of the night, and in every part of the earth, 
where there is a Romish church, or priest, or layman, un- 
less she is omnipresent ? Now, you cannot separate the at- 
tributes of Deity. Show me a being that is infinite in any 
of the essential qualities of his character, and I am bound 
to ascribe to him, or to her, all the attributes of the God- 
head. Then, if the Virgin Mary is omnipresent, she is a 
Goddess. If the Almighty, then, is the King of heaven, 
she must be the Queen of heaven; and this, by the way, is 
actually one of the titles ascribed to her in Roman Catholic 
Prayer-books. Queen of heaven ! The Bible says nothing 
about Mary's being the queen of heaven. I must confess, 
however, that there is mention made, in the word of God, 
of this title. The expression occurs, three or four times, 
in the forty-fourth chapter of Jeremiah ; but I do not be- 
lieve that the Virgin Mary was intended. At all events, I 
should be afraid to invoke " the queen of heaven," after read- 
ing what I find in this passage. " Thus saith the Lord of 
hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Ye and your wives have 
both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, 
saying. We will surely perform our vows that we have vow- 
ed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out 
drink-offerings unto her; ye will surely accomplish your 
vows, and surely perform your vovi^s. Therefore hear ye 
the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of 
Egypt ; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the 
Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of 
any man of Judah, in all the land of Egypt, saying, The 



120 INVOCATION OP SAINTS. 

Lord God liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, 
and not for good ; and all the men of Judah that are in the 
land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the 
famine, until there be an end of them. Yet a small number 
that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt 
into the land of Judah ; and all the remnant of Judah, that 
are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know 
whose word shall stand, mine, or theirs." (Jer. xliv. 25 — 28.)" 
8. But there is another thing, which I should like to have 
satisfactorily settled before I embrace the views of Pope 
Pius, on this question. It is this : I should wish to be sure 
that all the Roman Catholic saints are in heaven; because, 
if I were to invoke a saint who should happen to be any 
where else but in heaven, it would be a very grievous and 
serious mistake. Now, I confess, I am a little skeptical on 
this point; for I find, upon the list of Romish saints, a great 
many names, that used to belong to persons, whose charac- 
ters were not very saint-like, when they dwelt in this lower 
world. Indeed, in some instances, their real names were in 
such bad odour, that his Holiness had to give them new 
names when he made saints of them ; for they never would 
have been recognised as saints under their old ones; and, 
be it remembered, the Pope makes saints, not by sanctifying, 
but by canonizing. Now, this is a process in which I can- 
not place much confidence, principally because it is not re- 
commended in the word of God. I cannot see how the no- 
torious Garnet, who was hung for plotting against the Bri. 
tish government, in the reign of Queen Elisabeth, should 
become worthy of the invocation of the faithfijl, by the 
Pope's canonizing him as St. Henry ? And I never shall 
ask St. Dominick, the bloody patron of the Holi/ Inquisi- 
tion, to pray to God for me ; for if he can be heard at all 
he had better pray for himself. 

The saints in the Romish church, may be called Legion, 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 221 

for they are many. Their lives, published by the Bolland- 
ists, fill onhj fifty-four massive folio volumes^ which ex- 
tend no farther than the month of October ; and the little 
Hagiography of Mr. Alban Butler extends through twelve 
closely printed 8vo. vols. Among these reputed saints, 
there are some few who were holy men, and who deserve 
to be held in everlasting remembrance. But there are others 
whose existence is altogether fabulous, and the mystery 
is, how sensible Roman Catholics can ever be brought to 
believe in the existence of such persons. There was the 
gigantic Saint Christopher, who is fabled to have carried 
Christ across an arm of the sea ; Saint Amphibolus, who 
turned out to be the cloak of Alban, the reputed proto-mar- 
tyr of England ; Saint Longinus, the Roman soldier who 
thrust the spear into Christ's body on the cross ; Saint Ur- 
sula, with her eleven thousand virgin martyrs, of whom no 
traces are to be found in any history except the " Lives of 
the Saints," &c. &c. 

If the great Saint Francis had lived in this Christian 
country and age, his name would probably have been en- 
rolled anywhere else sooner than upon the record of the 
saints. Our police and civil magistrates are not in the habit 
of canonizing men who throw away their clothes, and run 
about nudior ovo, 

A Roman Catholic may, perhaps, wish kindly to obviate 
the first objection which [ made, viz : that the departed saints 
cannot hear the prayers that are made to them, by telling 
me " If they cannot hear us, God can, and he can tell the 
saint that we are asking him (the saint) to intercede for us 
with the Lord. Now does not this remove the difficulty? 
The saint will then be notified of all that he need know to 
enable him to intercede for us 1" I have no doubt, my 
friend, that God can do this, but whether he will do it, is 
another thing. God has not commanded you to invoke the 
11 



122 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

saints ; this is not pretended by any one, and therefore yoo 
have no right to expect that God will condescend to your 
whim in this nnatler. Besides only see what a roundabout 
way this is of getting at the thing. You invoke one of the 
saints, **0h! St. Nicholas, pray for me!" Then God, ac- 
cording to this theory, informs St. Nicholas that a certain 
sinner on earth wants him (St. Nicholas) to pray to him, 
(the Lord,) for some special blessing. Now, my friend, I 
think this is a singular method. Would it not be a great 
deal better not to trouble St. Nicholas, but to go at once to 
the good Lord in the name of the one mediator, Jesus Christ ? 
/think it would. 

But I am forgetting Pope Pius.* He justifies the invoca- 
tion of the saints on the ground, that " both their charity 
for us, and their intercession with God, is much greater now 
than when they were here upon earth." 

1 should have been better satisfied if some proof had been 
advanced in support, particularly of the last proposition ; as 
it is, they both rest upon mere assertion, and in addition to 
this, they have nothing to do with the subject. The ques- 
tion before us is not, " Whether the saints in heaven pray 
for men, but whether we should pray to the saints." As to 
the former question, whether the saints in heaven pray for 
men, the Scriptures say nothing about it, and therefore it is 
not modest to be very positive one way or the other. We 
protest against making mediators of the saints by invoking 
them, or asking them to help us, and to pray for us. Whe- 
ther the happy spirits in glory pray for us of their own 
accord or not, is altogether another question, and one which 

* I mean the writer of the Grds. of C. D. whoever he was. The 
Grds. of CD. are merely a development of the views contained 
in Pope Pius IV.'s Confession of Faith. I hope it is not a mortal 
sin to hold Pope Pius responsible for the sentiments of his com- 
mentator. 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 123 

we leave undecided. The two following questions and an- 
swers in the Grounds of Cath. Doct. contain apology, and 
noi proof, I shall examine this apology when I have done 
with the proof, or apology for proof, which is offered ia 
support of the practice of the invocation of saints. 

*' Have you any reason to think that the saints and angels 
have any knowledge of your addresses or petitions made to 
them? 

" Yes, we have 1st, Because our Lord assures us, ' that 
there is joy in tlie presence of the angels of God over one 
sinner that repenteih.' For if they rejoice at our repentance, 
consequently they have a knowledge of our repentance; and 
if they have a knowledge of our repentance, what reason 
can we have to doubt of their knowing our petitions also? 
And what is said of the angels is also to be understood of 
the saints, of whom our Lord tells us, * that they are equal 
unto the angels.' " 

This question ought, I think, to have been the first of all; 
but even supposing that all the evidence which is adduced 
to prove that the saints take knowledge of our addresses were 
to the point, this would not prove that it is right to invoke 
them. The saints may be aware that Roman Catholics call 
upon them, and in their hearts they may abhor the invoca- 
tion as idolatrous. Pope Pius does not stick to his text. He 
is to prove that it is right and lawful to invoke the saints, 
not that the saints know when we pray to them. Even this 
is far from being probable. But are we not told that " there 
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner 
that repenteth ?" Yes, we are. " Then the angels have a 
knowledge of our repentance." Undoubtedly. " If they have 
a knowledge of our repentance, what reason can we have 
to doubt of their knowing our petitions also ?" Very great 
reason ; because the one case is clearly revealed in the 
Bible, but the other is not. Let us look at the parable, and 



124 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

this will appear. The shepherd has lost a sheep, he leaves 
the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and goes after that which 
was lost till he finds it ; and when he has found it, he lays 
it on his shoulders, rejoicing, and when he comes home, he 
calls together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, 
" Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost." 
How natural every thing appears if left as the Saviour has 
stated it. He says to the angels, " Rejoice with me." They 
have the joyful intelligence directly from the Saviour. Now, 
if you will show me a passage which represents Jesus Christ 
as telling the saints or angels, " such and such a sinner is 
invoking you, and wishes you to ask me to grant such 
a favour," 1 will admit that the cases are precisely parallel, 
but not before. 

Let us examine the next proof. 

2dly. "Because the angels of God (who) are always 
amongst us, and therefore cannot be ignorant of our requests ; 
especially since, as we have seen from Rev. v. 8, and viii. 4, 
both angels and saints offer up our prayers before the throne 
of God, and therefore must needs know them." 

" The angels are always amongst us." This language 
is objectionable, for the angels are not always amongst us; 
" they are ministering spirits sent forth lo minister to the 
heirs of salvation," and consequently must be sometimes in 
heaven, or they could not be sent forth. The text to which 
we are referred in Rev. v. 8, will also be found, I think, by 
no means favourable to the practice of invoking the saints. 
"The four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down be- 
fore the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden 
vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints." 
This text refers either to the church on earth, or to the 
church in heaven ; if to the former, the explanation is as 
follows : the four beasts and four and twenty elders repre- 
sent the ministers and people of Christ's church ; the harps. 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 125 

the songs of praise, and the odour or incense, their prayers. 
This is all typical of the worship of the church on earth. 
But if we understand the passage as alluding to the church 
in heaven, it can prove only one thing, and that is, that they 
may pray even there. It does not follow that they offer 
our prayers. This is the very point to he proved. It can- 
not even be nnade to appear that they pray for us. There 
is not a single prayer of the saints in heaven for those on 
earth, recorded in the whole apocalyptic vision, nor in any 
other portion of the Bible. The only prayer which we read 
of as coming from them, is for themselves. " I saw under 
the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of 
God, and for the testimony which they held ; and they cried 
with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and 
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that 
dwell on the earth?" Now this does not prove that the 
saints in heaven intercede for us; and even if that point 
should be established, the main question is not reached, be- 
cause it must be shown that we are warranted from Scrip- 
ture in calling upon the saints by name, and in soliciting 
their intercession. 

3dly. " Because it appears from Apoc xi. 15, and x. 1, 2, 
that the inhabitants of heaven know what passeth upon earth. 
Hence St. Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 9, in speaking of himself and his 
fellow apostles, sailh, * We are made a spectacle unto the 
world, and to angels, and to men.' " 

There is nothing new in this paragraph ; so far as Scrip- 
ture proof to establish the invocation of saints is concerned, 
there is not a single iota of evidence offered in any one of 
the Scriptures to which we are referred. I shall, therefore, 
not detain you any longer on this point than simply to read 
the texts which are designated. (Rev. xi. 1.5.) " And the 
seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in hea- 
ven, saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the 

11* 



126 INVOCATION OF SALNTS. 

kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and ho shall reign 
forever and ever." (Rev. x. 1, 2.) " And I saw anolh'er 
nnighly angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud, 
and a rainbow was upon his head, and liis face was as it were 
the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire : and he had in his 
hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the sea, 
and his left foot on the earth and cried," &c. And in the 
last place, " We are made a spectacle unto the world, and 
to angels, and to men." (1 Cor. iv. 9.) It is worthy of 
remark, that in both the passages from Revelation, the in- 
habitants of heaven seem to acquire their information respect- 
ing the affairs of men, from another angel. This does not, 
therefore, sustain the theory that the saints and angels can 
always hear the prayers of those who invoke them. Much 
less does it prove that it is our duty, or that it is " good and 
profitable" to fly to them for help, even though we were 
made a spectacle to all the angels and saints in heaven ! 

The following paragraph is also designed to prove that 
the saints know what passes on earth : 

4thly. " We cannot suppose that the saints and angels 
who enjoy the light of glory, can be ignorant of such things 
as the prophets and servants of God in this world have often 
known by the light of grace, and even the very devils by 
the light of nature alone; since the light of glory is so much 
more perfect than the light of grace or nature, according to 
the apostles, * For now we see through a glass darkly ; but 
then face to face : now I know in part, but then I shall know 
even as also I am known ;' that is by a most perfect know- 
ledge. Hence 1 John iii. 2, it is written, ' we shall be like 
him, (God,) for we shall see him as he is ;' now it is certain 
that the servants of God in this world, by a special light of 
grace, have often known things that passed at a great dis- 
tance, as Elisha, 2 Kings v., knew what passed between 
Naaman and his servant Gehazi ; and 2 Kings vi. what was 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. jg^ 

done in Ihe king of Syria's private chamber. It is also cer- 
tain that the devils, by the mere light of nature, know what 
passes amongst us, as appears in many places in the book 
of Job, and by their being our accusers. (Rev. xii. 10.) 
Therefore, we cannot reasonably question but that the so- 
ciety in heaven know 'the petitions which we address to 
them." 

Now, in my own mind, I have no doubt that the saints in 
heaven are made acquainted with events that transpire on 
earth, of special interest to tlie cause of Christ. That they 
do feel a deep concern in the spiritual prosperity of their 
brethren on earth, cannot, I think, fairly be questioned; they 
are a part of the same spiritual household, and no doubt re- 
joice in anticipation of the day when their brethren on earth 
shall, like themselves, be perfected in love, and see God as 
he is. But I do maintain that there has not yet been a 
single Scripture brought forward which approaches to a 
proof that the departed saints know eve7'y thing relatiwe to 
every particular person upon earth. Now this must be 
proved before we can be certain that they hear us, and after 
this has been established, we ask again, *' what has all this 
to do with the main question ?" Where is the Scripture that 
tells us " it is good and profitable to invoke departed spirits?" 
As to the plea that the very devils know what is done on 
earth, and that therefore the saints in heaven must know it, 
the inference is so glaringly false, that it is not worth the 
trouble of refuting. Besides, the passages which relate to 
the perfect knowledge of the saints, very plainly refer to 
heavenly and not to earthly things. The perfect know- 
ledge oi every thing that is done on earth would, I suppose, 
hardly contribute to the happiness of those who are forever 
done with the turmoils and troubles of this world ! 

We come now to the closing paragraph on this head, and 
it is the strangest of all. 



228 INVOCATION OF SAINTS, 

Sthly. " In fine, because it is weak reasoning to argue 
from our corporeal hearing, (the object of which being sound, 
that is, a motion or undulation of the air, cannot reach be- 
yond a certain distance,) concerning the hearing of spirits, 
which is independent on sound, and consequently indepen- 
dent of distance ; though the manner of it be hard enough 
to explicate to those who know no other hearing but that of 
the corporeal ear." 

Pope Pius having enjoyed the benefit of another revela- 
tion, I cannot pretend to cope with him here. He tells us, 
" ex cathedra," that " the hearing of spirits is independent 
of sound." If so, it is not hearing, but some other faculty 
for which tee have no name ! For there is no hearing that 
is independent of sound. Besides, I think his holiness for- 
gets himself here, or else his new revelation differs widely 
from the old one. John tells us, " I beheld, and I heard the 
voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts 
and the elders ; and the number of them was ten thousand 
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ; saying, 
with a LOUD VOICE, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to 
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honour, and glory, and blessing!" And then again he tells 
us, " I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many 
waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, and I heard the 
voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they sang 
as it were a new song." — Ah ! then, there is music in hea- 
ven ! But if " the hearing of spirits is independent of sound," 
where is the use of music ? I hope Pope Pius has found out 
his mistake long since. It would rejoice my heart to know 
that his voice is heard in that happy chorus, and that even 
now, his hand is sweeping the strings of a golden harp 
among the ransomed in glory ; but I fear his holiness has 
hardly got out of purgatory yet. The following question is 
the last in the chapter : 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 129 

" Have you any other warrant in Scripture for the invo- 
cation of saints and angels? Yes, we have the example of 
God's best servants." 

Ah ! this is to the point. The example of God's best ser- 
vants! We are willing to follow that. "Thus Jacob, Gen. 
xlviii. 15, 16, begs the blessing of his angel guardian for his 
two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. ' God, before whom 
my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which 
fed me all my life long until this day, the angel which re- 
deemed me from all evil, bless the lads.' The same Jacob, 
Osee xii. 4, * wept and made supplication to an angel ;' and 
St. John, Rev. i. 4, writing to the seven churches of Asia, 
petitions for the intercession of the seven angels in their 
favour, ' Grace be unto you, and peace from him, who is, 
and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits 
which are before his throne.' " 

"Thus Jacob begs the blessing of his angel guardian for 
his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. God, before 
whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God 
which fed me all my life long until this day, the angel which 
redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads." Would God 
that Roman Catholics would never invoke any other than 
the an^el who redeems us from all evil ! He is none other 
than the angel of the covenant, the blessed Saviour our Lord 
Jesus Christ. He alone can redeem from evil, and he re- 
deems from all evil. Jacob places the angel which redeemed 
him, in apposition with the God that fed him, showing that 
they were one. But Hosea tells us " the same Jacob wept 
and made supplication to an angel." He did, he wrestled 
with the angel of the covenant till the break of day, and he 
prevailed, and his name from that time was no more called 
Jacob, but Israel, because like a prince, he had power with 
God, and prevailed. To this angel he no doubt refers in 
the former quotation, when he speaks of the angel who re- 
deemed him from all evil ; for Jacob was in a perilous coO' 



130 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

dition at the time when he wept and made this supplication. 
Esau was near at hand with an armed force, breathing 
vengeance against his brother who had supplanted him 
and gained his birthright ; but Jacob prayed and wept, and 
the angel redeemed him from this evil. The Lord Jesus 
Christ is frequently spoken of as the angel of the covenant, 
and whenever redemption from sin and all evil is spoken of, 
it is in connexion with the name of Jesus. " In him, in him 
alone, we have redemption through his blood." Oh ! re- 
member that no created angel can redeem from sin. This 
is the prerogative of the blessed Saviour. 

But we are reminded of the salutation of John to the 
seven churches, " Grace be unto you and peace from him, 
who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the 
seven spirits that are before his throne." " Grace and peace 
were prayed for (by John) from the seven spirits before the 
throne." This is generally and justly interpreted of "the 
divine Spirit ;" the number seven is used here, as in some 
other passages, in an enigmatical or mystical sense, to denote 
the abundance of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. 
The apostle, therefore, wishes grace and peace to the seven 
churches, out of the abundant fulness of the Holy Spirit! 
Now, at all events, even if Roman Catholics reject this in- 
terpretation, they cannot make out any thing to suit their 
purposafrom this passage. Pope Pius says, "John writing 
to the seven churches of Asia, petitions for the intercession 
of the seven angels in their favour." John does no such 
thing. He expresses a wish that the " seven spirits" may 
confer grace upon the churches. He does not ask these 
spirits to pray for the saints. Now, who confers grace? 
The Holy Spirit, and he alone, from the inexhaustible 
riches of God's mercy, and the fulness of these heavenly gifts 
is denoted by the mystical number of " seven." Hence, 
John's prayer is, that the churches may be abundantly 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 131 

blessed by the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit ! I have 
now reviewed this chapter on the invocation of the saints, 
and I think I have shown that Roman Catholics have no 
warrant from Scripture for the practice. I am sure I can 
show, that the Scriptures do most pointedly forbid it. The 
testimony of the word of God is so ample on this head, that 
I shall be obliged to pursue the plan which I adopted in the 
last discourse, and arrange the opposing texts in classes. 1 
cannot undertake to quote them all singly. 

1. All those texts which represent Jesus Christ as the 
only mediator, directly condemn the invocation of saints. 
Let us hear the Lord Jesus himself, " / am the way, no man 
cometh unto the Father, but by me," — not, I and my m.other, 
and my apostles, and the patriarchs, and all the saints whom 
Pope Peter and his successors may canonize, are the way, 
and any man may come to the Father, by any one of us, 
but, " / am tiie way, no man cometh unto the Father, but 
by me."* The barrier' to our approach to God was sin, but 
this Jesus has removed by the sacrifice of himself upon the 
cross, and now, through him, in his name, and in his name 
alone, we are invited to come to the Father. For, says 
Paul, " There is one God, and one Mediator between God 
and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom 
for all." What becomes of your host of mediators, when 
the Bible tells me there is but one ? " Ah !" says the Ro- 
manist, " the apostle means that Christ was the only aton- 
ing mediator, but not the only mediator of intercession." 
Well, my friend, where does the apostle make this distinc- 
tion? Show it to me in the word of God, and I will admit 
its justice. You look for it in vain, in the lively oracles of 
God, and well you may, for the distinction has never been 
made by the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, Paul refers to 

* Doway Bible, John xiv. 6. 



^32 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

the ransom paid by Christ, to show that it is this wliich con- 
stitutes Christ the only mediator. " There is one God, and 
one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 
who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due 
time." (1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.) Why is it that the intercession of 
Christ is constantly alluded to in connexion with his charac- 
ter and office as the High Priest of the gospel dispensation ? 
Is not the great truth seen running through every Scripture, 
that refers to Christ as the only mediator, that he is such, 
because he alone has a right to mediate between God and 
sinners, inasmuch as he alone has atoned for sin ? The dis- 
tinction, therefore, which the church of Rome makes be- 
tween Christ, as the only atoning mediator, and her host of 
interceding mediators, is a mere trick, to elude the force of 
plain Scripture ; for the Bible proves clearly, that no one has 
a right to intercede between God and sinners, but the Sa- 
viour, who has atoned for the guilt of sinners ! Now, if 
there is but one mediator, there cannot be many mediators ; 
and if so, what good will our invocation of. the saints do? 
This objection would naturally present itself to the mind of 
every one familiar with the case, and capable of thinking 
correctly on any subject. Pope Pius felt its force, and he 
tries to evade it. But he does not put the question fairly. 
Had he done so, he well knew it would be hard to find an 
answer that could justify the practice of the Romish church. 

" Is there no danger, by acting thus, of giving to the saints 
the honour which belongs to God alone?" 

" No ; it is evident that to desire the prayers and inter- 
cessions of the saints, is by no means giving them an honour 
which belongs to God alone : so far from it, that it would 
even be a blasphemy to beg of God to pray for us ; because, 
whosoever desires any one to pray for him for the obtaining 
of a grace or blessing, supposes the person, to whom he 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 233 

thus addresses himself, to be inferior and dependent of some 
other, by whom this grace or blessing is to be bestowed." 

If the name of Christ had been substituted in place of 
God, the question would have been fairly put. The media- 
torial honour of the Saviour belongs to him, not as God^ but 
as the man Christ Jesus. As such he intercedes for us with 
the Father ; he mediates not in his divine, but in his human 
nature. Protestants never profess that the mediatorial office 
and work belongs to God. Hence you see the utter irrele- 
vancy of the question in its present form. It is easy, after 
placing the matter upon false premises, to refute an imagi- 
nary absurdity. Pope Pius's priest insinuates, in his answer, 
that Protestants ask God to pray for them. He knew bet- 
ter; he knew that we depend upon the intercession of our 
great High-Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ ; that we come to the 
Father through him alone; hence there was no need for this 
expression of pious abhorrence of those who ask God to pray 
for them ! This is a mere subterfuge, but it will not avail. 
The Saviour calls to every one, who would hide behind it, — 
*' I am the way, no man cometh to the Father but by me." 

2. All those texts which prove tht efficacy of the Sa- 
viour's intercession, show that we need no other advocate, 
" If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 
Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitiation for 
our sins." At the grave of Lazarus, Jesus lifted up his 
eyes and said, "Father, I thank thee, that thou hast heard 
me ; and I knew that thou hearest me always." What more 
then does the Father require than the mediation of his be- 
loved Son? And why should the sinner seek farther than 
Christ, when he is all-sufficient? " Then," says the Ro- 
manist, " on the same ground we may object to the com- 
mon practice of asking pious friends to pray for us, since 
we desire no more of the saints than we desire of our bre- 
12 



134 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

thren here below, viz. that they would pray for us and with 
us to the infinite goodness of God," &ic. 

I showed the diflference between the two cases at the com- 
mencement of my discourse. In the first place, we know 
that our friends on earth hear us, we do not know whether 
the departed saints can hear us. Moreover, we are com- 
manded to ask the ri^^htcous on earth to pray for ns, and 
there is no such precept in the case of departed saints. And 
now, if this will not suffice, I say, in the next place — 

3. We have texts of Scripture which absolutely forbid 
us to depend upon any other intercessor but Jesus Christ, 
or to offer religious worship to any creature. The Scrip- 
tures note the introduction of such mediators as a heresy. 
"Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary 
humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those 
things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up in his flesh- 
ly mind, and not holding the Head." Col. ii. 18. 

From this it appears that some wicked men, even in Paul's 
time, wished to introduce the invocation of angels, on the 
very same plea which Romanists advance in our day, " a 
voluntary humility," pretending that it is modest to interest 
inferior mediators in their requests. Paul condemns it as 
injurious to the glorious truth, that Christ alone is our Head 
and mediator. 

Again, in 1 Tim. iv. 1, we read these words : " Now the 
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall 
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doc- 
trines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their 
conscience seared with a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and 
commanding to abstain from meats." Upon these latter 
marks, I shall not dwell at present; they are so plain, that 
every one may see that the Romish church is designated. 
The expression, ''doctrines of devils," is worthy of remark, 
in the original Greek it is " diSaaxa'kCai 6at/uovtwv," doctrines 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 135 

of demons. This term was applied, in all ancient writers, 
to deijied men or canonized mortals ; and the ancient fa- 
thers understood Paul as referrinoj to the introduction of this 
heathenish worship into the Ronnish church. I will give a 
comment of Epiphanius, of Salamis, who lived in the 
fourth century, upon this passage of Scripture. Rebi>k- 
ing certain people for giving religious honour to the Vir- 
gin Mary, he says : " Some persons are mad enough to 
honour the Virgin Mary as a sort of goddess. Certain 
women have transplanted this vanity from Thrace into 
Arabia. For they sacrifice a bread cake in honour of 
the virgin ; and, in her name, they blasphemously celebrate 
sacred mysteries. But the whole matter is a tissue of im- 
piety, abhorrent from the teaching of the Holy Spirit: so 
that we may well call it a diabolical business, and a mani- 
fest doctrine of the spirit of impurity. In them is fulfilled 
this prophecy of St. Paul : ' Certain persons shall aposta- 
tize from the faith, attending to fables and doctrines concern- 
ing demon-gods.' For the purport of the apostle's declara- 
tion is : They shall pay divine worship to the dead, even as 
men formerly paid such worship in Israel. * * * But 
we Christians must not indecorou ly honour the saints ; ra- 
ther ought we to honour him who is their sovereign Lord. 
Let, then, the error of seducers cease. The Virgin Mary 
is no goddess. To the peril, therefore, of his own soul, let 
no one make oblations in her name."* 

There is a remarkable prediction in the Revelation of St. 
John, ix. 20: "And the rest of the men, that were not kill- 
ed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their 
hands, that they should not worship demon-gods, (same 
word,) and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, 
and wood, which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk." 

* Epiph. Adv. Haer. lib. 3. haer. 78. 



136 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

From this, it appears, lliat they of whom it was foretold 
that they should worship demon-gods, were to worship ima- 
ges also. 

May we not, with propriety, refer the language of the Sa- 
viour to every seducing spirit, llfat would beguile us into the 
invocation of saints : " Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is 
written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only 
shalt thou serve ?" 

4. In the next place, I will present, from Scripture, 
some practical examples of religious service being offered 
to created beings, and expressly prohibited by inspired au- 
thority. The first is the case of Peter, the vicar general 
of Jesus Christ, and the prince of the apostles. You will 
find the history recorded in the tenth chapter of Acts. Cor- 
nelius, a centurion, had been warned, in a dream, to send 
for Peter. When the apostle had, in obedience to the direc- 
tion of the Holy Spirit, come to the house of Cornelius, we 
are told that the centurion fell down at his feet and worship- 
ped him. " But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up, I my- 
self also am a man." Ah ! if Peter could only make his 
voice heard in every Romish chapel, he would say to all 
who worship him, "Stand up, 1 myself also am a man." 
*' But," says a Roman Catholic, " you ought to bear in mind 
that Peter was not in heaven then, but on earth ; and so this 
case is not to the purpose; we invoke the saints in heaven, 
not those on earth." Oh! I had thought the great argument 
of Papists was, that in their invocation of the saints, they did 
no more than when Protestants ask the prayers of their pi- 
ous friends on earth. This apology flourishes largely in the 
Grounds of Cath. Doct. Now, if this be so, the inference 
is fair, that it would have been just as proper to worship 
Peter, when on earth, as to give him this honour now that 
he is in heaven ; for this worship is nothing more than Pro- 
testants offer, when they solicit the prayers of pious friends. 



INVOCATION OF SAINT8. ^3-7 

However, we will not confine ourselves to this case. Here 
is another. " And I, John, saw these things, and heard 
them ; and when I had heard and seen, I fell down to wor- 
ship before the feet of the angel, which showed me these 
things." (Rev. xxi. 8.) " Now," says the Roman Catholic, 
"how will you ever answer that? If that docs not teach 
the propriety of worshiping angels, what proof will ever 
convince you?" I confess, my friend, so far, this text 
seems to favour your doctrine ; and Dr. Doyle, in his Abridg- 
ment of Christian Doctrine, has quoted the passage for this 
very purpose ; but he ought to have included the next verse, 
and then we should have heard what the angel thought 
about it. " Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not^ for 
I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, 
and of them which keep the sayings of this book. Worship 
God." This testimony, I presume, is sufficiently conclu- 
sive. 

Here, then, I might dismiss the subject ; but I cannot con- 
clude yet. It will be remembered, that the most plausible 
reason that is offered by Roman Catholics, in their standard 
works, in support of the practice of invoking the saints, is, 
that they only ask the prayers and intercessions of the de- 
parted spirits ; and do not look to the saints as the authors 
of grace. They are indignant if you express a suspicion 
that the worship terminates on the saints. " God forbid," 
say they ; " this would be high treason against the divine 
Majesty I" 

Now, I am prepared to prove, that the Romish church is 
guilty of this high treason against the divine Majesty. For 
in her authorized liturgies, so far from confining herself 
within the limits which she declares it impious to transcend, 
we shall find that the saints, and especially the Virgin Mary, 
are invoked as the dispensers of gifts and graces, which the 
word of God assures us can be conferred by God alone, 

12* 



lyQ INVOCATION OP SAINTS. 

1 will read a few passnges from the Collects and Hymns to 
the Saints, in the Ilourp, according to the liturgical use of 
the church of Salisbury, as printed at Paris, A. D. 1526. 
These prayers to the virgins and saints have the express 
stamp of Papal approbation. " Comfort a sinner ; and give 
not thy honour to the alien or cruel, I pray thee, O queen 
of heaven. Have me excused with Christ, thy son, whose 
anger I fear, and whose fury I vehemently dread; for. 
against thee only have I sinned. O, Virgin Mary, full of 
celestial grace, be not estranged from me. Be the keeper of 
my heart ; sign me with the fear of God ; confer upon me 
soundness of life : give me honesty of manners ; and grant 
me at once to avoid sins, and to love that which is just. O, 
Virgin sweetness, there neither was nor is thy fellow /"* 
To the industrious repealers of this prayer to the virgin. 
Pope Celestine was pleased to grant three hundred days of 
pardon. 

Again: "Let our voice first celebrate Mary, through 
whom the rewards of life are given to us. O Queen, thou 
who art a mother, and yet a chaste virgin, pardon our sins 
through thy Son. May the holy assembly of the angels, 
and the illustrious troop of the archangels now blot out our 
sins by granting to vs the high glory of heaven,^ 

In the first of these prayers, amongst other things, the 
worshiper of Mary says, " against thee only have I sinned," 
and in the second, the request is made to her, " pardon our 
sins through thy Son," and then the angels and archangels 
are asked to blot out our sins by granting us the high glory 
of heaven. Is this merely asking for their intercession ? It is 
painful to dwell upon such blasphemous perversions, and I 
quote them merely to prove that requests are made to the 

* Burnet's Hist, of Reform. Vol. ii. Faber, 194. 
t Ibid. Vol. ii. fol. 80. 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. jgg 

Virgin Mary, which can appropriately be addressed to God 
alone. 

It is not necessary, however, to revert to the Salisbury 
Hours to prove the church of Rome guilty of gross idolatry, 
in the homage paid to the Virgin Mary ; I find a surfeit of 
it in a little book, published with the approbation of the 
Roman Catholic bishop, resident in this city. On page 128 
of the Catholic Companion, is the Litany of the blessed Vir- 
gin, which commences thus : " We fly to thy patronage, 

Holy Mother of God ! despise not our petitions in our ne- 
cessities, but deliver vs from all dangers, O ever glorious 
and blessed Virgin I" 

Then follows an invocation of the Holy Trinity. This is 
succeeded by a page and a half of titles of the Virgin Mary, 
under all of which she is entreated to " Pray for us." 
Amongst the rest, the Virgin is addressed as the "Seat of 
Wisdom, Mirror of Justice, Cause of our joy. Mystical Rose, 
Tower of David, Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, Queen of 
Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of 
Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen 
of Virgins, Queen of all Saints." I hope no Roman Catho- 
lic supposes that these titles are ascribed to the Virgin Mary 
by divine authority. I would defy all the bishops and doc- 
tors of the Romish church to point out a single passage of 
Scripture which warrants the ascription of any one of these 
names to the Virgin Mary. I confess I am at a loss to con- 
ceive how pure devotion is to be enkindled by contemplating 
the Virgin Mary as a " Tower of Ivory," &c. 

On page 14 of the Vespers for Sundays, in the same book, 

1 find the following rhapsody : 

" Hail, O Queen, O Mother of Mercy ! Hail, our life, our 
comfort, and our hope ! 

"We, the banished children of Eve, cry out unto thee. 
To thee we send up our sighs, groaning, and weeping in this 



140 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

vale of tears. Come, then, our advocate, and look upon us 
with those thy pitying eyes," &c. &lc. 

Now it is bad enough to pray to the Virgin Mary or to 
any other saint; Cor prayer is an act of worship, which be- 
longs to God alone ; but Ronnan Catholics actually sing 
hymnSi ^^ which an efficacy and power, belonging to God 
alone, are ascribed to her ! Under the head of Vespers for 
Sundays, we iBnd the following effusion : 

*'Hail, Mary, queen of heavenly spheres. 
Hail, whom the angelic host reveres! 
Hail, fruitful root, hail sacred gate. 
Whence the world's light derives its date! 
O glorious maid, with beauty bless'd. 
May joys eternal fill thy breast! 
Thus crown'd with beauty and with joy. 
Thy prayers with Christ for us employ." 

One nnore quotation, "Hail heavenly queen! hail foanny 
ocean's star." Those of my hearers, who are acquainted 
with heathen mythology, know that the goddess whom the 
Latins worshiped as Venus, was venerated by the Greeks 
under the name of Aphrodite, which means, literally, 
*' Sprung from the foamP This is significant of the fabu- 
lous origin of that goddess. The first line of this hymn 
would have suited a worshiper of Aphrodite, exactly — 

1. "Hail, heavenly queen! hail, foamy ocean's star! 
Oh! be our guide, diffuse thy beams afar: 
Hail, Mother of God, above all virgins blest! 
Hail, happy gate of heaven's eternal rest. 

2. " Hail, full of grace ! with Gabriel we repeat — 
Thee, queen of heaven, from him we learn to greet; 
Then give us peace, which heaven alone can give, 

And seas thuough Eve — through Mart let vs live!" 

This verse contains an amount of flilsehood and blasphe- 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. J4] 

- my, such as we seldom find condensed in so small a com- 
pass. 

When did Gabriel ever teach Christians to greet Mary as 
the queen of heaven? The Holy Bible renders the angel's 
words, ^^XaipSi xsxapitcifxivrj" "Hail, thou that art highly 
favoured !" and even the Doway version interprets Gabriel's 
salutation to Mary, "Hail, full of grace !" (Luke i. 28.) 
Gabriel would probably not thank the poet for the honour 
conferred upon him ; the good angel would hardly sanction 
idolatry. 

The last line is really too rank, " And dead through Eve 
— through Mary let us live." We^ dead through Adam, ex- 
pect to live through the Lord Jesus Christ. But it seems 
Mary is the Saviour of Papists. No wonder, then, that they 
are taught to pray, " Hail, O Queen, O Mother of mercy ! 
Hail our life, our comfort, and our hopeP^ 

But Roman Catholics sing hymns and pray to other 
saints besides the Virgin Mary. On page 19 of the hymns 
in the Catholic Companion, we have one for St. Vincent, 
which combines both prayer and praise : 

" Mild and serene, ye angels appear. 
Assist us with your heavenly power 
To sing" his praise, whom to-day we revere, 
On thee we call, St. Vincent of Paul, 

Aid and protect us; 

May we from thee 

Learn blest charity. 

Holy patron, hear our prayer," &c. Sec. 

Some of the prayers which are addressed to the Virgin 
Mary, not only make her equal with Christ, but actually 
imply her superiority. She is requested to use her mater- 
nal influence with her Son, to obtain the blessings which 
the petitioner desires, and a sufficiency is ascribed to her, 
which renders the Saviour's intercession a work of super- 



142 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

erogation. At the risk of being tedious, I will give two more 
extracts from Roman Catholic books, which are circulated 
in our own city with the sta-mi) of papal approbation. The 
first is taken from the " Month of Mary," p. 84. 

"Since thou art so rich in mercy, since all the treasures 
of heaven are in thy hands, what ma'y I not expect of thee ! 
How poor and miserable soever I may be, I have nothing to 
fear, if I address myself to thee; thou hast all that is neces- 
sary for me, and thou hast the power and the will to give 
vie whatever may he necessary for my salvation. I recom- 
mend to thee, O most blessed mother I my soul and my 
body, all my hopes, my consolations, my wants, my life, 
and my death. Into thy sacred hands I abandon myself 
with all that I have or am," &c. 

Now, it matters not that in some of the prayers, which 
are addressed to the Virgin Mary, it is explicitly declared, 
" In thee, next to Jesus my blessed Saviour, I place all my 
hopes," for if she has all that is necessary, and has the 
power and the will to give whatever may be necessary for 
salvation, the Papist need apply to no other. 

The following is from the " Christian's Guide to Heaven," 
p. 198. 

" O blessed Virgin, Mother of God ! and by this august 
quality worthy of all respect from men and angels, I come 
to offer thee my most humble homage, and to implore the 
aid of thy prayers and protection. Thou art all-powerful 
with the Almighty, and thy goodness for mankind is equal 
to thy influence in heaven. Thou knowest, O blessed Vir- 
gin ! that from my tender years, I looked up to thee as my 
mother, &c. ; thou wert pleased to consider me from that 
time, as one of thy children ; and whatever graces I have 
received from God, I confess, with humble gratitude, that 
it is through thee 1 received them. Why was I not as 
faithful in thy service, as thou wert bountiful in assisting 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 



143 



me? But I will henceforth servCj honour, and love 
thee,'''' &c. &c. 

Christians ascribe all grace to the sanctifying influences 
of the ever blessed Spirit of God, but Papists are taught 
that they receive all their grace from God through the Vir- 
gin Mary. 

Now, my hearers, to judge from the practice of the Ro- 
mish church, might we not suppose that the word of God 
abounds with positive precepts, enjoining the worship of the 
saints, particularly the Virgin Mary? Protestants respect 
her memory, as one whom the Lord peculiarly honoured ; 
all generations call her blessed, because she was the mother 
of the man Christ Jesus. But we hold it impious to style 
her the Mother of God, because her maternal relation to 
Jesus Christ extended no farther than his human nature; 
and Christ was not God by virtue of his incarnation, but by 
virtue of the Divinity, which pertained to him before the 
world began. In some of the authorized Roman Catholic 
books published in Paris, St. Ann, the Mother of Mary, is 
spoken of as follows : " She was the mother of the mother 
of God, and the grandmother of God himself." 

I might cite a great many similar expressions, but they 
are too blasphemous to repeat. The most absurd legends 
relative to the power of her intercession are recorded in au- 
thorized Roman Catholic hooks. A few of them may be 
found in M'Gavin's Protestant, I. 311. 

The mother of our Lord is seldom even mentioned in the 
Gospels, and so far from countenancing the extravagant wor- 
ship which is offered to her, the Saviour, who no doubt was 
well aware of the abuses which would be introduced into his 
church, seems cautiously to avoid every thing which would 
give even the shadow of plausibility to the extreme veneration 
which is paid to her. When a certain person came to him 
at one time, and said to him, " Thy mother and thy brc- 



144 INVOCATION OP SAINTS. 

tliren desire to speak with thee." Jesus replied, " Who is 
my mother, and who are my brethren ? and he reached forth 
his hand to his disciples, and said. Behold my mother and 
my brethren ! for whosoever doeth the will of my Father in 
heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." 
(Matt. xii. 47.) 

From this passage, every man who will use the faculties 
that God has given him, may see that the Saviour tells us, 
dear as his mother no doubt was to him, that every believer, 
every one who does his Father's will, is as dear as the nearest 
and dearest of his kindred according to the flesh. But the 
church of Rome forbids her children to understand the word 
of God in any other sense than that which she chooses to 
put upon Scripture ; and not content with forbidding the 
blessed God to give his own interpretation of his will — not 
content with insulting the Almighty by telling the faithful 
that the revelation of his will is so dark and mysterious 
that they cannot comprehend it, though that same revelation 
assures that the Scriptures are able to make wise unto 
salvation, she absolutely forbids many who are under her 
control, under pain of severe penalties, to read the word 
of God ! She not only perverts the Scripture, but she pre- 
sumes to say, through the highest authorities of her church, 
that the Bible, the blessed, precious Bible, is a book which 
cannot be read and studied by the common people without 
the most pernicious results! The Lord God calls aloud 
in his glorious gospel, " He that hath ears to hear, let him 
hear!" but the church of Rome will not let her children 
hear the Almighty speak for himself. She takes away the 
word of God, and seals up this sweet fountain of living 
waters I Nor is this all. One man. Cardinal Bonaventure, 
who has been canonized, and whose name stands on the 
Romish calendar of saints, has had the audacity to apply 
the whole book of Psalms to the Virgin Mary, by putting 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. J45 

her name instead of God's, and making some other neces- 
sary alterations. So that you may find in our Lady's Psal- 
ter, such a passage as this,* " The Lord said unto my Lady, 
sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy 
footstool !" In the same manner the Te Deum has been 
altered. " We praise thee, O Mary, we acknowledge thee 
to be the Lady," &c. After reading this, we were not sur- 
prised to find that one of the doctors of the Romish church 
has said, "He knew not which to prefer, the blood of the 
Son, or the milk of the Mother!" 

A few words as to the probable origin of the idolatrous 
invocation of saints, and I shall conclude. This abuse be- 
came prevalent in the church at a very early age ; we find 
traces of the practice among the fathers of the third century. 
There is one passage cited by Romanists from Irenaeus, who 
lived in the second century, which is not to the purpose. It 
is the only one in all his works which can possibly be pressed 
in as authority, but the connexion shows that Irenaeus never 
intended to lend his sanction to the practice. 

As to the fathers of the first and second centuries, their 
silence shows that they knew nothing of the invocation of 
saints. This root of bitterness is one of the fruits of the car- 
nal policy of a later period. When Christianity had become 
the religion of the state, the heathen became nominal members 
of the church, and the leaven of idolatry soon corrupted the 
whole mass. They had had gods many, and lords many before 
their union with the Christian church, and their idolatrous pro- 
pensities not having been corrected, they readily adopted 
the invocation of saints as a convenient substitute for the 
adoration of their host of false deities. There is one stand- 
ing proof of the truth of this explanation. 

" The noblest heathen temple now remaining in the world, 

* Fox's Acts and Monuments, old edition, folio, p 185. 
13 



146 INVOCATION OP SAINTS. 

is the pantheon, or rotundo ; which, as the inscription over 
the portico informs us, having been impiously dedicated of 
old by Agrippa to Jove and all the gods, was piously con- 
secrated by Pope Boniface IV. to the blessed Virgin and all 
the saints. With this single alteration it serves as exactly 
for all the purposes of the popish, as it did for the pagan 
worship, for which it was built. For, as in the old temple, 
every one might find the god of his country, and address 
himself to that deity whose religion he was most devoted to, 
so it is the same thing now ; every one chooses the patron 
whom he likes best, and one may see here different services 
going on at the same time, at different altars, with distinct 
congregations around them, just as the inclinations of the 
people lead them, to the worship of this or that particular 
saint. * * * * 

"And as it is in the pantheon, it is just the same in all hea- 
then temples that still remain in Rome ; they have only 
pulled down one idol to set up another, changing rather the 
name than the object of their worship. Thus the little 
temple of Vesta, near the Tiber, mentioned by Horace, is 
now possessed by the Madonna of the Sun ; that of Fortuna 
Virilis, by Mary the Egyptian ; that of Saturn, where the 
public treasure was anciently kept, by St. Adrian ; that of 
Romulus and Remus, in the Via Sacra, by two other bro- 
thers, Cosmus and Damianus ; that of Antonine the godly, 
by Lawrence the saint ; but for my part, I would sooner be 
tempted to prostrate myself before the statue of a Romulus, 
or an Antonine, than that of a Lawrence, or a Damian, and 
give divine honours rather with pagan Rome to the founders 
of empires, than with popish Rome to the founders of monas- 
teries."* 

* See Middleton's letter from Rome, printed at length in the 
niustrations of Popery, p. 506; 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. I47 

The saints, moreover, like the heathen gods of old, have 
been and still are regarded as the guardian angels of certain 
countries. Thus St. James has charge of Spain ; St. Sebas- 
tian takes care of Portugal ; St. Denis of France ; St. Mark 
of the Venetians ; St. Nicholas of the Muscovites ; St. Am- 
brose of Milan. Before the reformation, St. George had 
charge of England ; St. Andrew of Scotland, and St. Patrick 
of Ireland. Indeed, some people think St. Patrick has 
charge of Ireland yet ! but I assure you that noble saint 
never was a Roman Catholic. He had been seven hundred 
years in his grave before popery was introduced into Ireland.* 
The several trades and professions also have their tutelary 
saints. Thus, St. Nicholas and St. Christopher have the 
oversight of sailors ; St. Catharine takes care of the scholars ; 
St. Austin looks after the divines ; St. Luke helps the paint- 
ers ; St. Ivo patronises the lawyers ; St. Eustatius is the 
friend of the hunters. St. Crispin of the shoemakers, and 
^t. Magdalen and St. Afra have the charge of those un- 
happy creatures who are no better than they should be. 
Some of the saints are expected to do rather unpleasant ser- 
vices, e. g. St. Anthony takes care of the pigs ; St. Pelagius 
of the cows; St. Eulogius of the horses ; and St. Vendeline 
and St. Gallus take especial care of both sheep and geese. 
Ridiculous as all this is, it is no less humiliating. Oh! what 
mean ideas of heaven some people must have, when they 
suppose that saints would leave it, to drudge after swine and 
geese ! 

The holiness of many of those who have been canonized 
by the church of Rome, appears to have consisted in a love 
of external ceremonies ; if the faithful are to consider the 
models of sanctity which are presented to them in the Bre- 
viary as patterns for their imitation, very iew in the com- 

* See Brownlee*s Tract — St. Patrick no Papist, 



148 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

munion of the Romish church will be disposed to aspire to 
the honour of saintship. The Breviary informs us that St. 
Patrick was accustomed to rise before daylight, and under 
the snows and rain of winter, to commence his daily task 
of praying one hundred times in a day, and as often in the 
night. When raised to the See of Armagh, his devotional 
activity seems to have received an additional spur. He now 
repealed daily the whole Psalter, (the one hundred and fifty 
psalms,) together with the canticles and hymns, and instead 
of praying two hundred times on his bended knees in the 
course of twenty-four hours, his genuflexions were hence- 
forth increased to three hundred, per diem. Pie made the 
sign of the cross one hundred times in each canonical hour, 
and the ecclesiastical day being divided into eight such pe- 
riods, the saint must have performed the motion eight hun- 
dred times in the course of the day. The return of night 
brought little repose to St. Patrick. He divided it into three 
portions; in the first he recited one hundred psalms, and 
knelt two hundred times; during the second he stood im- 
mersed in cold water, repeating fifty psalms moi-e, " with 
his heart, eyes, and hands raised towards heaven." The 
third he devoted to sleep upon a stone pavement.* 

Verily this was a course of spiritual gymnastics such as 
very few might undertake. What a bustle and perpetual 
motion, and an everlasting chattering of psalms and prayers, 
and collects, and canticles, and a diving into cold water, and 
a waving of the hands, and what interminable genuflexions, 
and elevations of heart, eyes, and hands towards heaven, 
must have been required by the conscience of St. Patrick ! 

I am pained at my very heart to think that, in this day of 
light, there should be any upon whose eye-balls the rays of 
the gospel sun can fall, without convincing them of the folly 

* Brev. Die 17 Martii. See Blaco White's Pract Evid. ag-ainst 
Catliolicism, p. 158. 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 149 

of the invocation of saints. Why may I not as well honour 
God by giving worship to the sun as to Ignatius Loyola, or 
St. Francis, or any other canonized saint? The sun is un- 
questionably a monument of God's goodness, wisdom, and 
power ; there is no possibility of mistaking it in this respect ; 
but I never can be as well satisfied respecting the holiness 
of sundry saints, whom Romanists devoutly invoke. For 
all that I know, Ignatius Loyola, though the prince of Jesu- 
its, was a great hypocrite ; but I am sure the sun is not. 
The best of men have their failings, and there are spots 
even in the sun ; but they are not moral impurities, nor are 
they displeasing to God. Philip Nerius could not have been 
mistaken in the shininsj of the sun, althou2;h he miaht be in 
the shining of Loyola's face ; and yet this is thought so mar- 
vellous a thing, that it is read in the lessons appointed for 
Ignatius Loyola in the Roman Breviary.* 

What is idolatry but giving to the creature the honour 
which belongs to the Creator? and do not the Virgin Mary 
and the saints receive that honour? Prayer and praise 
are acts of solemn worship, which are to be offered to God 
alone. David thought so, when he said, " My soul, wait 
thou only upon God;" but Romanists wait upon Mary and 
the saints. They pray to them, and they sing praises to 
them. Has God said that he is willing to share his glory in 
this respect with another ? No ; but he has solemnly de- 
clared that he never will give it to another He has forbid- 
den us, as we have already shown, to worship any but him- 
self. There is nothing more certain from the Bible than that 
the offerings which men bring to Mary and the saints, are 
an abomination in the sight of heaven. " A wonderful and 
horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets pro- 

* Brev. Rom. 31 Jul. Antw. 1663. See Stilling-fleet's Idolatry 
of the Church of Rome, p. 140. London, 1676. 

13* 



150 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

phesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means ; and 
my people love to have it so, and what will you do in the 
end thereof?" Oh ! that all who have sinned in this thing, 
would lift up their hands and cry, " O Lord, other lords 
have had rule over us, but henceforth by thee only will we 
make mention of thy name." All I ask is, that you " search 
the Scriptures, and see whether these things are so." If 
the priest forbids you to search the Scriptures, Jesus Christ 
commands you to search them. Now whom will you obey? 
" We ought to obey God rather than man. " Shame on the 
man that will bend and cringe before his fellow-mortal, and 
in a land of freemen, suffer a spiritual tyrant to pluck from 
his hands the bread of life ! God has given you his word, 
and for what? That you might hide it under a bushel ? 
No ; but that you might hold it up as a light by which to 
direct your steps. David says, " Thy word is a lamp to 
my ^ee\, and a light to my path." Oh ! let it be such to 
you. What has God made a revelation for if nobody can 
understand it but the priests? Is not the plan of salvation 
declared to be so plainly laid down in the Bible, " that the 
wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot err therein ?" 

My friends, if you invoke the saints, it is plain that you do 
not know the Saviour. You look upon him as frowning with 
indignation upon all that approach him. But is it so ? Does 
his word tell you so? Hear him, "Come unto me all ye 
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
The Bible never directs the sinner to go to Mary and entreat 
her to pacify the fury of her Son. 

If ever any man who hears me is tempted by Satan to 
pray, or to sing praises to either saint or angel, may the 
Lord furnish him with the answer of my text, " Get thee 
behind me, Satan, for it is written thou shalt worship the 
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." 



LECTURE V. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

Lev. XX vi. 1. 
"ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither 

REAR you up a STANDING IMAGE ; NEITHER SHALL YE SET UP 
ANY IMAGE OF STONE IN YOUR LAND, TO BOW DOWN UNTO IT ; 
FOR / AM THE LORD YOUR GOD." 

It is hard to conceive how a church, professing to be the 
only one in which salvation may be obtained, should sanc- 
tion the veneration of images, when the practice is so plainly 
forbidden in the word of God. Had I none before me, but 
such as were entirely free from all bias in favour, either of 
Protestantism or Romanism, I am confident, that, in order 
to convince them that the veneration of images, as practised 
by the church of Rome, is directly at variance with the plain 
command of Scripture, nothing more would be necessary 
than simply to range the decrees of her councils, and the 
doctrines of her Catechisms, and authorized Confession of 
Failh, by the side of those precepts of God's word, which 
refer to the worship of graven images. In order to convict 
Papists of evident departure from the truth of the gospel, I 
need do no more than place the decree of Trent against that 
of Sinai, and let the voice of Jehovah, uttered amid the 
thunderings and lightnings of the burning mount, rebuke 



152 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

the worm that dares to contradict him. Jehovah says, 
" Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any 
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in 
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them ; 
for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God." Now, hear 
the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, who opposeth and ex- 
alteth himself above all that is called God, or that is wor- 
shiped ; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, 
showing himself that he is God ; " I most firmly assert, 
that the images of Christ, of the mother of God, ever vir- 
gin, and also of other saints, may be had and retained; and 
that due honour and veneration is to be given to them."* 
Jehovah says, *'Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven 
image." The man of sin says, "/most firmly assert, that 
the images of Christ, of the mother of God, ever virgin, 
and also of other saints, may be had and retained ; and that 
due veneration is to be given to them." 

But, plain as this case is, when viewed in the light of 
Scripture, the worship of images is strenuously upheld by 
papists; though by means of sophistry and false distinctions, 
they try to make it appear that, in reality, they do not vio- 
late the command of God. The second commandment of 
the Decalogue has always been a source of trouble to the 
doctors of the Romish church ; so much so, that until they 
were shamed out of the fraud by Protestants, they uniformly 
omitted it in all their catechisms. I defy any man to show 
me the second commandment, in any ojie of the manuals of 
the Romish church, before the Reformation ! As late as 
1658, we find Dr. Stillingfleet challenging a papist to tell 
him in what public office of their church the second com- 
mandment was to be found. Even yet, the priests have not 

* Grounds of Cath. Doct. p. 6, 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 153 

been entirely cured of this attempt at imposition ; for in the 
papal countries of Europe, the second commandment is not 
to be found in the catechisms in common use, if my infor- 
mation is correct ; and I am the more inclined to believe its 
truth, because I find that there is no mention made of this 
commandment in the Christian's Guide to Heaven, publish- 
ed with the approbation of the R. C. Bishop of this city. 
Before a good papist goes to confess, he is directed to exa- 
mine himself on the ten commandments. In this examina- 
nation there is not a word said about the graven images, 
which the Lord forbids us to make, in order to bow down 
to them; but, to eke out the full complement o^ ten com- 
mandments, the last, or tenth commandment, is divided so 
as to make two out of it. I wish the bishop would let me 
supply a list of questions 'on the second commandment, be- 
cause, as the case stands at present, the examination fnust 
be defective ; and, as the Lord requires us to keep all his 
commandments, I think it would be safest to let the Al- 
mighty's words stand as originally delivered to Moses, on 
the tables of stone. To be sure, it might occasion some little 
suspicion that all was not right, if such a question as this 
were proposed. " Is there any image, or likeness of any 
thing in heaven, or on earth, to which you have bowed 
down?" "Why, yes," the Roman Catholic must reply, 
" there is. I have bowed down to the crucifix in mv cham- 
ber, and to the image of the Virgin Mary," &c. Then 
the next question would be, " How often ?" And, perhaps, 
it would be a difficult matter to answer that question satis- 
factorily. 1 do not, for a moment, dispute the 'policy of this 
omission. I think it is (\u'\{e prvdent ; but whether it is al- 
together proper, or scriptural, is another question. 

But I must proceed to examine the evidence offered in 
support of this practice of the Romish church. There is a 
long chapter, on this subject, in the Grounds of Cath. Doct., 



154 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

though there is very little matter offered as proof; the great- 
er part of the chapter consists of apology. I have thought 
it best to make an analysis of the contents of this section, 
in order to hold up at one view the chief points upon which 
the veneration of images depends. The Grounds of Cath. 
Doct., (pp. 75 — 79,) contain the following six propositions 
on this head. 

1. Divine honours are not paid to images, but only rela- 
tive honours. 

2. The second commandment of the Decalogue, by no 
means interferes with the use of images. 

3. Several commands of God to Moses, warrant the wor- 
ship of images. 

4. No trust or dependance is placed in images. 

5. Sundry practices of Protestants are similar to the cus- 
tom of the Romish church in this respect. 

6. The dictates of common sense, as well as of piety and 
reh'gion, teach that it is right to show proper veneration to 
images. 

I. Roman Catholics maintain that they do not pay divine 
honour to images. 

" What is your doctrine as to images 1 

" We hold that the images or pictures of Christ, of his 
blessed mother, ever virgin, and of other saints, are to be 
had and retained ; and that due honour and veneration are 
to be given to them. 

" Do you not worship images 1 

*' No, by no means ; if by worship you mean divine ho- 
nour ; for this we do not give to the highest angel or saint, 
not even to the Virgin Mary, much less to images. 

" Do you not pray to images? 

" No, we do not, because, as both our catechism and com- 
mon sense teach us, they can neither see, nor hear, nor 
help us. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 255 

" Why, then, do you pray before an image or crucifix? 

" Because the sight of a good picture or image, for exam- 
ple, of Christ upon the cross, helps to enkindle devotion in 
our hearts, towards him that has loved us to that excess as to 
lay down his life for the love of us. 

" What kind of honour do Catholics give to the images 
of Christ and his saints? 

*' A relative honour. 

" What do you mean by a relative honour? 

"By a relative honour, I mean an honour which is f^iven 

o 

to a thing, not for any intrinsic excellence or dignity in the 
thing itself, but barely for the relation it has to something 
else, as when the courtiers bow down to the chair of state, 
or Christians to the name of Jesus," &c. 

As to the statement about the degree of honour paid to 
the Virgin Mary, we have already shown that divine ho- 
nour is certainly paid to her; and I shall now show, that to 
give, even what is called a relative honour, to images, is im- 
pious. " By a relative honour," Pope Pius says, " I mean 
an honour which is given to a thing, not for any intrinsic 
excellence or dignity in the thing itself, but barely for the 
relation it has to something else ; as when the courtiers bow 
down to the chair of state, or Christians to the name of Je- 
sus, which is an image or remembrance of our Saviour to 
the ear, as the crucifix is to the eye." In other words, Ro- 
man Catholics show this outward honour to an imao-e, on 
account of the person whom it represents, not because they 
believe there is any virtue in the image itself Thus, when 
they bow to a crucifix, they consider themselves as bowing 
not to the wood or brass, of which the crucifix is made, but 
to the Saviour, who is represented by it. Hence the wor- 
ship terminates upon the Saviour, and not upon the crucifix. 
This, I believe, is as fair a statement of the case as can be 
given. 



J56 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

1. I shall show that this distinction is altogether inadmis- 
sible. It is so, for the following reason : God has forbid- 
den us to worship him in this way ; of course, thertfore<, 
he will not accept of the honour that is intended to he 
shown to HIM by bowing down to an image. What is wor- 
ship? So far as the act is concerned, it is nothing more 
than an external signification of honour and respect. Now 
this expression of honour, which is due to God, cannot be 
made, acceptably, when it is offered in a manner which God 
has forbidden ; no matter what the intention of the worship- 
er may be. A man may intend to worship God, when he 
bows down to an image, but if God has expressly said, 
" Thou shalt not bow down to it," it is not probable that 
the Lord will consider himself honoured by the disobedience 
of his worshiper. If we once admit the doctrine, that 
men's intentions are to be the rule of divine worship, then 
we must concede to our Roman Catholic friends the right of 
promoting the glory of God by breaking his commandments. 
But, if we declare the divine law to be the only rule of wor- 
ship, all prohibited modes of honouring God must be an 
abomination to him. Suppose Mehemet, the pacha of Egypt, 
should issue an edict, declaring it to be high treason for any 
of his subjects to bow down to a sign-post, ornamented with 
the figure of his head, under the pretence of giving the 
greater honour to their prince ; what would he say, think 
you, if some of his subjects were to be brought before him, 
taken in the very act of disobedience? Would he be satis- 
fied if they were to plead their intention of showing respect 
to him, after he had forbidden them to bow down to his 
image? Not he. I am disposed to believe, that he would 
order the heads of his disobedient subjects to be fixed upon 
sign-posts, as a terror to others. And will the great God, 
who absolutely forbids the worship of himself, by means of 
an image, and who calls this worship idolatry, no matter 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. J 57 

with what intention it is offered ; will he be pleased with the 
homage of those nnen who, in the very face of his prohi- 
bition, bow down to images, and plead their good intention? 
He will not. He is a jealous God. 

ft will, I presume, be admitted, by every one, that God is 
the best judge of the propriety of the worship that is offered 
to him. Now, it is plain, that He does regard all such wor- 
ship as terminating on the image. One thing is certain ; if 
it does not terminate on the image, it never reaches him. 
He abhors it. He will have none of it. How was it, when 
the Israelites, weary at the delay of Moses, who was on the 
mount, receiving the tables of stone, prevailed upon Aaron 
to make a golden calf? Said they, " These be thy gods, 
O Israel, which brought thee up out of Egypt !" They in- 
tended that the worship, which they paid to that idol, should 
terminate on. God. They well knew, that that stupid calf 
had not brought them out of the land of Egypt. They 
made it as a representation of the Lord Jehovah ! Was he 
pleased? Was not the camp of Israel covered with the 
corpses of these idolaters? It is folly, then, to speak of wor- 
shiping God by showing honour to an image. Call it rela- 
tive honour, or whatever you please, it is idolatry. Indeed, 
the word " idolatry" is compounded of two Greek words, 
meaning image-worship. It may be worth mentioning, by 
the way, that the ancient Greeks and Romans justified bow- 
ing down to the images of Jove and Minerva, and their other 
gods and goddesses, by precisely the same plea which is 
now used by Roman Catholics. They did not honour the 
image, but the god who was represented by it. Indeed, the 
more enlightened, even among pagans, condemned the use 
of images. Zeno, and Plato, and Socrates, and others, re- 
garded all image-worship as contemptible. 

I cannot dismiss this point without showing that the dis- 
14 



158 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

tinction between positive and relative worship is a mere im- 
position. In an exposition of the image-worship, enjoined 
by the second Council of Nice, (which Romanists regard as 
a legitimate and infallible council,) James Naclantus, bishop 
of Clugium, uses the following language: 

" We must not only confess, that the faithful in the 
church worship before an image ; as some over-squeamish 
souls might, peradventure, express themselves ; but we must, 
furthermore, confess, without the slightest scruple of con- 
science, that they adore the very image itself ; for, in sooth, 
they venerate it with the identical worship wherewith they 
venerate its prototype. Hence, if they adore the prototype 
with that divine worship which is rendered to God alone, 
and which technically bears the name of Latria, they adore 
also the image with the same Latria, or divine worship ; and 
if they adore the prototype with Dulia, or Hypcrdulia, they 
are bound also to adore the image with the self-same species 
of inferior worship."* 

This, be it remembered, is an exposition of the doctrine 
of the second Nicene Council, published at Venice in the 
sixteenth century, with papal approbation. 

2. The next proposition, which I will review, is, that the 
second commandment of the Decalogue, by no means con- 
demns the vse of images. This does not follow in the 
Grounds of Cath. Doct., immediately after the point which 
I have just fliscussed ; but this is the proper place for it. 
Pope Pius asks, as well he may, (Grounds, 77.) — 

" But is it not forbidden (Exod. xx. 4.) to make the like- 
ness of any thing in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, 
or in the waters under the earth 1 

" It is forbidden to make to ourselves any such image or 
likeness ; that is to say, to make it our God, or put our trust 

* Faber's Diff. of Rom. p. 210. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. I59 

in it, or give it the honour which belongs to God ; which is 
explained by the following words ; * Thou shalt not bow 
down thyself to them ;' that is, thou shalt not adore them ; 
for so both the Septuagint and the Vulgate translate it ; ' nor 
serve them ;' otherwise, if all likenesses were forbid by this 
commandment, we should be obliged to fling down our sign- 
posts, and deface the king's coin." 

My hearers need not be told, that Protestants do not con- 
demn all likenesses; but all worship of images. We can 
admire sculpture, and patronise the fine arts, without bowing 
down to graven images. 

The best way of ascertaining the meaning of a command- 
ment is, to examine the terms in which it is expressed, and 
the reasons why the commandment was given. Exod. xx. 4, 
" Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any 
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in 
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." 
There is no kind of image, graven or painted, whether of 
a real or imaginary being, that is not comprehended in the 
original language of this commandment. Not only is the 
making of similitudes in general, forbidden, but any kind of 
likeness, whether of things in heaven, or things on earth, or 
things under the earth, is interdicted if made in order that 
men may bow down to them. Now, I cannot conceive how 
the Almighty could have revealed his will in relation to this 
matter, more clearly than he has done. If the language is 
not sufficiently plain and emphatic in this case to preclude 
all misapprehension, then, I say, it is not in the power of 
words to convey any definite meaning. But Roman Catho- 
lics tell us that this commandment has reference solely to 
the idol gods of the heathen, and not to their pictures of 
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and of the Virgin Mary 
and the saints, before which they do certainly bow down. But 
has the Lord said thou shalt not bow down to any graven 



IQQ VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

image or likeness of things in heaven, or on earth, &c., ex- 
cept the images and pictures of the Trinity and the Virgin 
Mary and the saints? No. But he has said, " thou shall 
not make to thyself any graven image," &c., then certainly 
it is wrong to wor.ship God, who is in heaven, under any 
similitude whatever. If a king were to pass a law forbid- 
ding his subjects, under a severe penalty, to make any 
image or likeness of himself, with the intention of showing 
honour to him by kneeling before it, would not he be thought 
a strange interpreter of the law, who should tell the people, 
" The king does not forbid you to make any picture of him- 
self, or of his Son, or of his favourites, and to bow down to 
them, because this must redound to his honour; and who 
does not see that ' if all likenesses were forbidden by this 
commandment, we should be obliged to flino- down our sign 
posts and deface the king's coin V But his majesty rpeans 
that you must not make the image of an ass, or an ape, or 
a crocodile, and bow down to them, thinking to honour 
him by such worship." Now, my brethren, is not the ex- 
position of the second commandment, as given by Romanists, 
very similar to this ? The Lord forbids any image of him- 
self to be used in connexion with his worship ; " but," says 
the papist, " this does not exclude the crucifix, nor any pic-' 
ture of God himself; nor of his saints or angels, provided 
we intend to worship God and the saints by them, and do 
not suffer the worship to terminate on the images !" Again, 
if we consider the reason which the Scriptures give us for 
this prohibition of image- worship, our argument will appear 
still more conclusive. Hear the word of the Lord, (Deut. 
iv. 15, 16,) " Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves, 
lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, 
the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 
&c., for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that 
the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. Jgj 

fire." If the Lord was warning the people merely against 
the idols of the heathen, why did he give this as the reason 
of the prohibition of image-worship, " For ye saw no man- 
ner of similitude in the day that the Lord spake unto 
you ?" &c. 

3. But another proposition laid down in the Grounds of 
Cath. Doct. is, that several commands of God to Moses 
warrant the use of images. 

" How do you prove that it is lawful to make or keep the 
image of Christ and his saints ? 

"Because God himself commanded Moses, Exod. xxv. 
18 — 21, to make two cherubims of beaten gold, and place 
them at the two ends of the mercy seat, over the ark of the 
covenant, in the very sanctuary, 'And there, (says he, 
V. 22,) will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee 
from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubims 
which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which 
Jl' will give thee in commandment unto the children of 
Israel.' God also commanded, (Num. xxi. 8, 9,) a serpent 
of brass to be made, for the healing of those who are bit by 
the fiery serpent ; which serpent was an emblem of Christ, 
John iii. 14, 15." 

If this means any thing to the purpose, it implies that, 
because the Lord commanded Moses to make two cherubim, 
and place them over above the mercy-seat, therefore it is 
right for papists to bow down to the images of Christ and 
the saints. This is really too bad ! Were these images of 
the cherubim placed therefor the Jews to worship them? 
Why, my hearers, the Jews had no access to them, the 
High Priest and he alone could enter the Holy of holies, 
where the mercy-seat was kept, and even he could do so 
only once a year. The mercy-seat was an emblem, (not 
a graven image,) of Christ, and the two cherubim of gold, 
with their faces toward the mercy-seat, were typical of the 

14* 



162 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

angels, who desire to look into the mysteries of redemption ; 
the common people never saw the cherubim, consequently 
they could not bow down to them ! But then, we are told, 
God also commanded a serpent of brass to be made, for the 
healing of those who were bit by the fiery serpents, which 
serpent was an emblem of Christ, &c. Yes ; but it was not 
a likeness of Christ, though it was an emblem, "As Moses 
lifted up tiie serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son 
of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life." As those, who were 
bitten by the serpents, and who desired to be healed, were 
directed to look to the brazen serpent, so sinners who feel 
their guilt and condemnation, are pointed to the Lamb of 
God who taketh away the sins of the world, through the 
atoning sacrifice which he offered on the cross. The object 
of the Lord in conferring a cure upon all who looked to the 
brazen serpent, was to show that sinners are saved by faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus to prove incontroverlibly 
that the Romish doctrines of penance and satisfaction, and 
works of supererogation are all inventions of the devil ! As 
many of the serpent-bitten Jews as looked to the brazen ser- 
pent were cured at once; and as many as look unto the 
Lord Jesus Christ, feeling themselves to be miserable and 
wretched, shall also be healed; for he says, "Look unto me, 
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth," Is. xlv. 22. By 
the way, the allusion to the brazen serpent is most unfortu- 
nate. It appears from 2 Kings xviii. 4, that the Israelites, 
after they had been inveigled into the idolatrous practices of 
their heathen neighbours, actually bowed down to this bra- 
zen serpent and burnt incense to it, and we are told that for 
this reason good Hezekiah " brake in pieces the brazen ser- 
pent which Moses had made!" 

4. But another proposition, asserted in the Romish 
Catechism, is, that no trust or dependence is placed in 
images. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 153 

"Are you not taught to put your trust and confi- 
dence in images, as the heathens did in their idols ; as if 
there were a certain virtue, power, or divinity residing in 
them ? No, we are expressly taught the contrary by the 
Council of Trent. Sess. 25." The following is probably the 
passage referred to : — 

"Moreover, let them teach that the images of Christ, of 
the Virgin Mother of God, and of other saints, are to be had 
and retained, especially in churches, and due honour and 
veneration rendered to them. Not that it is believed that 
■any divinity or power resides in them, on account of which 
they are to be worshiped ; or that any benefit is to be 
sought from them, or any confidence placed in images, as 
was formerly by the Gentiles, who fixed their hope in idols. 
But the honour with which they are regarded, is referred to 
those who are represented by them, so that we adore Christ, 
and venerate the saints, whose likenesses these images bear, 
when we kiss them, and uncover our heads in their presence, 
and prostrate ourselves," &c. 

If this be so, then, I ask, why not fling your idols to the 
moles and to the bats at once? If you place no trust in 
them, what good can you derive from bowing down to 
them ? 

But here Pope Pius involves himself and his children in 
a contradiction. The second Council of Nice curses every 
body who refuses to worship images ; and yet papists are 
taught that no trust or dependence is to be placed in them. 
This is strange. Roman Catholics are actually required, 
under the pain of a curse, to worship images, for the de- 
crees of the second Council of Nice, on this point, are not 
to be misunderstood, (as we shall presently see,) and yet 
they are assured that this adoration will do them no manner 
of good. I will read the decree of this Council (A. D. 787) 
in relation to images. The decrees of this second Council 
of Nice, relative to image-worship, were reversed by seve- 



164 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

ral of its successors, and again re-enacted by others. This 
idolatry was established about the close of the ninth cen- 
tury. 

" The venerable images, both of the dispensation of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, as he became man for our salvation, and 
of our unpolluted lady the holy mother of God, and of the 
god-like angels, and of the holy apostles and prophets and 
martyrs, and all the saints, I salute and embrace and adore, 
according to their just degrees of honour, rejecting and an- 
athematizing, from my whole soul and intellect, that synod, 
which was congregated through madness and folly, and 
which has been denominated the seventh Council ; though 
by persons who think rightly, it is lawfully and canonically 
styled a false synod, as being alienated from all truth and 
piety, and as having rashly and boldly and atheislically 
barked against the heaven-delivered ecclesiastical legislation, 
and as having insulted the holy and venerable images, and 
as having commanded them to be removed from the holy 
churches of God. Anathema to the calumniators of Chris- 
tians ! Anathema to the breakers of imaojes I Anathema 
to those who apply to images the Scriptural denunciations 
against idols! Anathema to those who refuse to salute the 
holy and venerable images ! Anathema to those who call 
the holy images idols! Anathema to those who aid and 
abet the dishonourers of the holy images !"* 

This seventh Council, which the Nicene Fathers thus un- 
ceremoniously disfranchise, was a genuine oecumenical 
synod, and bore noble testimony against the vile abomina- 
tion of image-worship. 

But, my hearers, in addition to this, I must be permitted 
to adduce farther testimony, which will prove that Roman 
Catholics do place trust in images. I will offer a few pas- 

* Concil. Nicen. See Act 1, quoted by Faber, p. 213. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 165 

sages extracted from the book of the " Hours of the Virgin," 
printed at Paris A. D. 1526, and in use in the church of 
Sahsbury. 

" To all them that be in a state of grace who devoutly 
say this prayer before our blessed Lady of pity, she will 
show them her blessed visage, and warn them of the day 
and hour of death ; and in their last end the angels of God 
shall yield their souls to heaven. Such a person shall ob- 
tain five hundred years, and so many lents of pardon, grant- 
ed by five holy fathers, Popes of Rome. 

"Our holy father, Sixtus IV., Pope, hath granted to all 
them that devoutly say this prayer before the image of our 
Lady, the sum of 11,000 years of pardon. 

"These be the fifteen Go's which the holy virgin St. 
Bridget was wont to say daily before the holy rood in St. 
Paul's church at Rome. Whoso says this a whole year, 
shall deliver fifteen souls of his next kindred out of purga- 
tory, and shall convert other fifteen sinners to a good life ; 
and other fifteen righteous men of his kindred shall perse- 
vere in a good life ; and what ye desire of God ye shall have 
it, if it be to the salvation of your souls. 

" To all them that before this image of pity shall devoutly 
say five paternosters, and five ave marias, and a credo, pite- 
ously beholding those arms of Christ's passion, are granted 
32,755 years of pardon : and Sixtus IV., Pope of Rome, 
hath made the fourth and fifth prayer, and hath doubled his 
aforesaid pardon." (Faber 217.) 

What a fearful amount of suffering papists must expect 
to endure in purgatory, when they can thus readily obtain 
a dispensation from so many thousand years of torment ! 

It will be a difficult matter to reconcile the privileges thus 
granted to the worshipers of images, with the assertion of 
the Catechism, that papists are taught not to place any con^ 
fidence in them. I shall proceed to the next point, 



16G VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

5. That various practices of Protestants are similar to 
the custom of the Romish church in this respect. 

" Have you any instances of this relative honour allowed 
by Protestants? 

*' Yes, in the honour they give to the name of Jesus, to 
their churches, to the altar, to the Bible, to the synnbols of 
bread and wine in the sacrament. Such also was the 
honour which the Jews gave to the ark and cherubims, and 
which Moses and Joshua gave to the land on which they stood 
as being holy ground. Exod. iii. 5 ; Josh. v. 5, 15," &c. 

Besides these, there are two other cases mentioned. 
" When the courtiers bow down to the chair of state, or 
Christians to the name of Jesus, which is an image or re- 
membrance to the ear, as the crucifix is to the eye ;" they 
then, according to Pope Pius, give precisely the same honour 
to these things as papists show to images. The Grounds 
of Cath.Doct. were not originally published in this country; 
we have no " chair of state" here, and so long as Protestant 
principles and influence prevail, we are not likely to have 
any. But even were this government a monarchy, Protest- 
ants would never worship the chair of state as an image 
either of the Deity, or of the king. All the respect which 
is .ever shown it in civilized kingdoms, whether from Ro- 
manists or Protestants, is civil, and not religious honour ; 
but at all events, it is a silly custom, and one for which 
Republicans have a strong antipathy. 

As to boiving at the name of Jesus, I can see nothing in 
this which justifies bowing down to an image of Jesus. 
Some Episcopalians, 1 believe, imitate Roman Catholics in 
this custom, and I am sure I have no objection to any heartfelt 
homage paid to the blessed Saviour. I conceive, however, 
a vast difference between bowing down to an image of Jesus, 
and bowing reverently when the name of the Saviour is 
pronounced ; though without wishing to be captious, I must 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. jg-y 

say, that I think the custom of bowing at the name of Jesus 
is not required by Scripture. We are told in the word of 
God, that at the name of Jesus every hue shall bow, of 
things in heaven, and things on the earth. This refers to 
the final subjugation of all things under the power of Christ, 
and does not mean that we are to bow whenever the name 
of Jesus is pronounced ; for if this be the meaning, in order 
to obey to the letter, we must drop on our knees whenever 
we hear the name of Christ, no matter where we may be, 
whether in the street or elsewhere. " But," says Pope Pius, 
*' the name of Jesus is an image to the ear, as the crucifix 
is to the eye." With all deference to his holiness's infalli- 
bility, it sounds to me very much like nonsense to talk of an 
" image to the ear.'^'^ Images are meant only for the eye ; 
they are dumb idols that cannot speak, and therefore have 
nothing to do with the ear. We might as well speak of a 
sound for the eye as talk of an image for the ear. As to 
the case itself, it would have been as much to the purpose 
if his holiness had declared that a Protestant's going to 
church when the bell rings, is the same as a papist's bow- 
ing before a crucifix. 

But then we are told that we give honour to our churches, 
to the altar, to the Bible, and to the symbols of bread and 
wine, similar to that which Romanists pay to their images. 
To this I answer, we do no such thing ; we do not bow to 
any of them. If any of our Protestant friends have some 
of these rags of popery about them, if they will give their 
Reformed brethren permission, we will help them to shake 
oflT their rags, and send them back to Rome; and if they can 
detect any of Holy Mother's ribands about us, we will thank 
them to reciprocate the favour. 

But let us hear the Catechism a little farther. " Such 
also was the honour which the Jews gave to the ark and 
cherubim." I have already shown that this cannot be ; for, 



IQQ VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

yoLi will remember the cherubim and ark were kept in the 
Holy of holies, so that the Jews never saw them, and the 
high priest himself never saw them more than once a year. 
The Jews, it is true, directed their worship towards the place 
where God had promised to be signally present among 
them. But this gives no more sanction to the worship of 
images than our lifting our eyes to heaven when we pray ; 
we do so because God is more especially present there. 

But " Moses and Joshua gave honour to the land on which'^ 
they stood as being holy ground ;" and therefore we are 
told it is right to give honour to images. (Exod. iii. 5, and 
Josh. V. 15.) 

Now I think these cases are wide of the mark. In the 
first place, the Lord commanded his servants to take off 
their shoes ; but he has forbidden us to bow down to any 
image. In the next place, Moses and Joshua were not com- 
manded to kiss the ground, or to bow down to it, much less 
to pray to it, but only to put off their shoes, and no one can 
deny that God's special presence in any place renders it 
proper that some peculiar mark of reverence should be 
shown when the Lord himself designates the precise way 
in which it is to be exhibited. This homage was not paid 
to the ground, but to God ; and if at all events the ground 
was sacred by divine consecration, there was nothing of 
representation in it. It was not a graven image or a like- 
ness of God. Hence the cases are not parallel. There is 
one more case mentioned at the close of this chapter in an- 
swer to the last question. 

" Does your church allow of images of God the Father, 
or of the blessed Trinity ? 

" Our profession of faith makes no mention of such images 
as these ; yet we do not think them unlawful, provided that 
they be not understood to bear any likeness or resemblance of 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. I59 

the divinity which cannot be expressed in colours, or repre- 
sented by any human workmanship." 

This is a downright contradiction in terms. " Images of 
the divinity are not unlawful, provided that they be under- 
stood to bear no likeness to the divinity." What are images 
but likenesses of some original? Likenesses of the divinity 
are not unlawful, provided it is understood that they are no 
likenesses ! If it be true, as Pope Pius tells us, " that 
the divinity cannot be expressed in colours, or represented by 
any human workmanship ;" why make the attempt? Why 
make graven images or pictures in order to represent him ? 
Let us finish the paragraph, and we shall see. " For as Pro- 
testants make no difficulty of painting the Holy Ghost under 
the figure of a dove, because he appeared so when Christ 
was baptized, (Matt. iii. 16,) so we make no difficulty of 
painting God the Father under the figure of a venerable 
old man, because he appeared in that manner to the prophet 
Daniel, vii. 9." 

I think this passage, referring to the Holy Ghost, is not 
properly understood. God saw fit to point out the Saviour 
to John the Baptist by a sign from heaven. This sign was 
the descent of the Holy Spirit in a visible form. But we 
are not told what that form was. It descended like a dove, 
i. e. as a dove descends, hovering over the object on which 
it is about to rest. In candour I must own that some Pro- 
testants do carnalize the Bible by painting the Holy Spirit 
under the figure of a dove, and I am sorry for it, especially 
since Pope Pius tells me, that papists think they may, with 
equal propriety, paint God the Father under the figure of 
a venerable old man, of course for the additional purpose of 
bowing down to it, and that too in the very face of the 
second commandment which expressly forbids it. Pope 
Pius does not mention, however, that papists have gone to 
15 



170 VENERATION OP IMAGES AND RELICS. 

such a length of impiety as to represent the Trinity under 
the image of a man with three faces. 

It is idle to urge that the prohibition delivered in the Old 
Testament, relates solely to the Jews ; and it is worse than 
futile to plead that this prohibition has passed away with the 
rites of the ceremonial law. Before this reasoning can be 
admitted, it must be proved that idolatry was a sinful ten- 
dency, peculiar to the Hebrew nation ; whereas, it requires 
no more than a reference to facts, to show that it is a vice 
which besets human nature itself. The commandment was 
made for all men, and for all seasons ; and is as binding 
now as when first given to the Jews. 

6. There is one more point, and then I have done with 
the apology for the worship of images. The dictates bf 
common sense^ as well as of piety and religion, teach that 
it is right to show proper veneration to images. 

" How do you prove that there is a relative honour due 
to the images or pictures of Christ and his saints? 

"From the dictates of common sense and reason, as well 
as of piety and religion, which teach us to express our love 
and esteem for the persons whom we honour, by setting a 
value upon all things that belong to them, or have any rela- 
tion to them : thus a loyal subject, a dutiful child, a loving 
friend, value the pictures of their king, father or friend ; and 
those who make no scruple of abusing the image of Christ, 
would severely punish the man that would abuse the image 
of their king." 

To all this I answer, that Protestants can admire the por- 
trait of an esteemed friend without bowing down to it, or 
worshiping it. We do not make war either on sculpture 
or painting, but on idolatry. 

I have had occasion to show, in former discourses, that 
the darker shades of Romanism are carefully kept out of 
view in the Roman Catholic works which are published in 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 17 X 

this country, though let the priests trim and garble as they 
will, they cannot conceal the cloven foot. This course is 
pursued for the very obvious reason, that there is too much 
light and too much liberty here for the full development 
of all the superstition and idolatry which obtain in coun- 
tries that are strictly under papal government. It would 
not do to come out before an enlightened community such 
as this, and formally announce such miracles as are said 
to be performed in Spain and Italy by the wonder-working 
imases and relics. It would not answer in a Protestant 
city gravely to proclaim from the house-top, that the images 
of the Virgin Mary and of Jesus Christ had been known to 
speak, actually to hold conversations with the devout wor- 
shipers. Scores and hundreds of such miracles are, how- 
ever, recorded in Roman Catholic books, designed for the 
edification of the faithful.^ 

It will be remembered, that the Grounds of Cath. Doct. 
repudiate the supposition that there is any power or divinity 
residing in the images, before which they bow. Perhaps 
Roman Catholics, in Philadelphia, do reject every such idea. 
I am willing to believe that they do, if they insist upon it ; 
but I am sure that the papists of Italy do, certainly, believe 
that there is an actual power residing in many of their ima- 
ges. It is for Roman Catholics to reconcile these discrepan- 
cies with the famous boast of their church, that their reli- 
gion is " always, and everywhere the same." 

If we are told again, that honour is not paid to the image 
itself, but to that which the image represents, we would ask. 
Why, then, is any local superiority admitted? Why is one 
image considered more holy, and more potent than another? 
Why are pilgrimages made to distant images, when there 
are others, representing the same object of worship, nearer 

* See Master-key to Popery, pp. 205, 209, &c. 



172 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

home, and of far better workmanship ? Why visit the black 
image, hideous and defaced as it is, of our Lady of Loretto, 
when there arc so many madonnas, far more comely in ap- 
pearance, within an hour's walk? No, my brethren, these 
subterfuges are too flimsy to hide the nakedness of the Po- 
pish apology for idolatry. 

Dr. Middleton, in his letter from Rome, speaking of the 
famous image of the Virgin Mary, known as " Our Lady 
of Loretta," an image, as black as a coal, relates the fol- 
lowing facts. 

"In the high street of Loretta, which leads to the holy 
house, the shops are filled with beads, crucifixes, Agnus 
Deis, and all the trinkets of popish manufacture; where I 
observed printed certificates, or testimonials, affixed to each 
shop, declaring all their toys to have been touched by the 
blessed image; which certificates are provided for no other 
purpose, but to humour the general persuasion, both of the 
buyer and the seller, that some virtue is communicated by 
that touch, from a power residing in the image? For what 
else," says he, "can we say of those miraculous images, as 
they are called in every great town of Italy, but that some 
divinity and power is universally believed to reside in them ? 
Are not all their people persuaded, and do not their books 
testify, that these images have sometimes moved themselves 
from one place to another ; have wept, talked, and wrought 
many miracles ; and does not this necessarily imply an ex- 
traordinary power residing in them ?" " In one of the church- 
es of Lucca, they show an image of the Virgin, with the 
child Jesus in her arms, of which they relate this story : 
That a blaspheming gamester, in a rage of despair, took up 
a stone, and threw it at the infant ; but the Virgin, to pre- 
serve him from the blow, which was levelled at his head, 
shifted him instantly from her right arm into the lefl, in 
which he is now held ; while the blasphemer was swallowed 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. j'73 

up by the earth upon the spot, where the hole, which they 
declare to be unfathomable, is still kept open, and enclosed 
only with a grate, just before the altar of the image. The Vir- 
gin, however, received the blow upon her shoulder, whence 
the blood presently issued, whicli is preserved in a crystal, 
and produced with the greatest ceremony, by the priest, in 
his vestments, with tapers lighted, while all the company kiss 
the sacred relic on their knees." 

From this we see, that an ima^e of the Virgin can de- 
fend itself from injuries, and inflict vengeance on all who 
dare to insult it. Does this agree with the solemn assurance 
that there is no power or divinity residing in these images? 

I am sated, " ad nauseam," with these disgusting de- 
tails ; nor would I have introduced them, had they not been 
necessary to illustrate the true character and tendency of 
image-worship.* 

Not only are images worshiped in this manner; hut due 
veneration is also paid to relics, especially to the wood of the 
cross, pieces of which papists profess to have in their pos- 
session. If all the bits of wood which are shown as true 
fragments of the cross are genuine, it must have required a 

* If the reader wishes farther information, respecting- miracu- 
lous images, let him consult the Glasg-ow Protestant, by Wm. 
M'Gavin, Vol. I. chap. xlix. pp. 361—367. Hartford: 1833. 
Also, Dictionnaire Critique des Reliques et des Imag-es Miracu- 
leuses, par Collin de Plancy. 3 vols. 8vo. Paris: 1821. This 
book is written in a strain of merciless sarcasm. If ever images 
have wept, it must have been under the lash of De Plancy. Of 
the fact, that the puppets have shed tears, this author appears per- 
fectly convinced. He suspects, however, that the sponges, filled 
with water, which have been found secreted in the heads of these 
idols, might, possibly, have had some remote connexion with the 
phenomenon of their weeping*. I trust I shall not be suspected 
of rationalism, when I confess that I incline to believe De Plau- 
cy is correct. 

]5* 



174 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

forest to build the instrument in question. There is a very 
short chapter on this subject in the Grounds of Cath. Doct., 
and as the two subjects are intimately connected, I will re- 
view, in as few words as I can, the reasons that are oflered 
for the worship of relics. 

*' What do you mean by relics? 

" The bodies or bones of saints ; or any thing else that 
has belonged to them. 

*' What grounds have you for paying a veneration to the 
relics of the saints ? 

"Besides the ancient tradition and practice of the first 
ages, attested by the best monuments of antiquity, we have 
been warranted to do so by many illustrious miracles done 
at the tombs, and by the relics of the saints, (see St. Aug. 
L. 22, of the City of God, chap. 8,) which God, who is 
truth and sanctity itself, would never have effected if this 
honour, paid to the precious remnants of his servants, was 
not agreeable to him. 

"Have you any instance in Scripture of miracles done 
by relics ? 

" Yes, we read, 2 Kings xiii. 21, of a dead man raised to 
life by the bones of the prophet Elisha ; and. Acts xix. 12. 
' From the body of Paul were brought unto the sick, hand- 
kerchiefs, or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, 
and the evil spirits went out of them.' " 

I was prepared to expect that some Scripture warrant 
would be produced in favour of the veneration that is paid 
to relics ; in this, however, I have been disappointed. There 
is merely an allusion to the miracle performed at the grave 
of Elisha, and to the cures effected by the handkerchiefs 
and aprons brought from the body of Paul. As to the for- 
mer case, I rather think, that if the worship of relics had 
been in vogue at that time, the bones of such a man as Eli- 
sha would not have been suffered to sleep quietly in the 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 



175 



grave. As to the fact of the miracle being performed at 
Elisha's grave, there is no doubt of that ; but this does not 
authorize the worship of rehes. The other case is also in- 
applicable. The handkerchiefs and aprons were not relics; 
for Paul was still alive ; and, besides that, they did not wor- 
ship these things, as Roman Catholics do. Before I speak 
of the miracles performed in our day by relics, I will first 
specify a few of these precious things that are so much ve- 
nerated by Romanists. A catalogue of relics, published in 
1753, contains, amongst other wonderful things, the follow- 
ing: 

" In St. Peter's church, they have the cross of the good 
thief, somewhat worm-eaten ; Judas's lantern, a little scorch- 
ed ; the dice the soldiers played with, when they cast lots 
for our Saviour's garment; the tail of Balaam's ass; St. 
Joseph's axe, saw, and hammer, and a few nails he had not 
driven :" the latter relic might be furnished, in an}' quantity, 
by all the hardware merchants of our city ; also, by the 
venders of old iron. "St. Anthony's mill-stone, on which 
he sailed to Muscovy ; part of the wood of the cross, and a 
nail of the same. Part of the manna in the wilderness, and 
some blossoms of Aaron's rod. The arm of St. Simeon, 
ill kept. The image of the blessed Virgin, drawn by St. 
Luke, the features all visible; one of her combs; and twelve 
combs of the twelve apostles, all very little used. Some 
relics of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The arm, and some 
part of the body of Lazarus, ill kept, and smells. A part 
of the body of St. Mark ; and a part of his gospel, of his 
own handwriting, almost legible. A finger and an arm of 
St. Ann, the blessed Virgin's mother. A piece of the Vir- 
gin's veil, as good as new. The staff delivered by our Lord 
to St. Patrick, with which he drove all the venomous crea- 
tures out of Ireland. Some of St. Joseph's breath, which 
an angel enclosed in a phial, as he was cleaving wood vio- 



176 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

lenlly ; which was so long adored in France, and since 
brought to Venice, and from Venice to Rome. The head of 
St. Dennis, which he carried two miles, atler it was cut off, 
under his arm, from Montmartre to St. Dennis. A piece of 
the rope Judas hanged himself with. Large parcels of the 
blessed Virgin's hair. Great quantities of her milk ; some 
butter, and a small cheese made of it, which never decays," 
&c. &c.* 

Five devout pilgrims, happening to meet on their return 
from Rome, loaded with relics, each began to extol his ac- 
quisitions ; and, upon comparing their precious treasures, 
they found, to their amazement, that each of the five was 
blessed with a foot of the very ass upon which Christ rode 
to Jerusalem. If all the feet that are shown in the different 
monasteries of Europe, as having belonged to this ass, were 
really owned by that animal, it must have been a species of 
centipede. 

Spalafine, the celebrated secretary of Frederic, elector of 
Saxony, drew up a curious catalogue of sacred relics, pre- 
served in the principal church at Wittemberg. It contained 
the enormous number of 19,874. If any perverse unbe- 
liever in the genuineness of relics should presume to pose a 
good papist, by asking him to account for the innumerable 
duplicates of heads, and bones, and bodies of saints and 
martyrs, father John Ferand, of happy memory, has left a 
standing answer, which must for ever silence infidel here- 
tics. The difficulty of one saint having a dozen heads at 
different places, is readily solved by this right worthy friar. 
He says, " God was pleased to multiply and reproduce them 
for the devotion of the faithful." A specimen of a few 
items, from Spalatine's inventory, will furnish some data 
that may assist us in ascertaining whether human credulity, 

* M'Gavin'sProt. Vol. i. 389. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. I77 

priestly cunning, or divine omnipotence had most to do with 
the multiplication and reproduction of relics. The follow- 
ing may suffice : 

" The rod of Moses, with which he performed his mira- 
cles. 

" A feather of the angel Gabriel. 

" A finger of a cherub. 

" The slippers of the antediluvian Enoch. 

"The spoon and pap-dish of the holy child. 

" A lock of hair of Mary Magdalene. 

" A tear our Lord shed over Lazarus, preserved by an 
angel, who gave it, in a phial, to Mary Magdalene. 

*' One of the coals that broiled St. Lawrence. 

"The face of a seraph, with only part of the nose. 

" The snout of a seraph, supposed to belong to the defec- 
tive face. 

" Some of the rays of the star that appeared to the magi." 

Luther tells us that the bishop of Mentz boasted that he 

had A FLAME OF THE BUSH, WHICH MOSES BEHELD BURN- 
ING.* 

If any incredulous Protestant should be disposed to ques- 
tion the genuineness of these relics, we are prepared to over- 
whelm him with a history of many stupendous miracles, by 
which their claim to due veneration is most abundantly esta- 
blished, to the utter confusion of all gainsayers. The fol- 
lowing miracle is one of many : 

Prince Christopher, of the family of the dukes of Rad- 
zecil, having gone a pilgrimage to Rome, to kiss his holi- 
ness's toe, received, as a reward of his piety, a box of very 
precious relics. These, on his return home, became the 
consolation of the afflicted, and the terror of the devil. * * 

Scarcely had a few months illustrated their power, when 

* See Cox*s Life of Melancthon, chap. iii. 



^78 VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. 

some monks requested the use of them, for the benefit of a 
man possessed by the devil. They were cheerfully lent to 
the holy fathers ; and were carried, in pomp, to the church, 
and solemnly deposited on the altar. At a specified time, 
when a vast assembly had congregated, to witness the pro- 
digy, after the ordinary exorcisms had failed, the relics were 
produced, and the devil was forced to decamp. The specta- 
tors cried out, "A miracle! A miracle!" and the prince 
lifted up his hands and heart to God in pious gratitude, for 
bestowing upon him so holy and potent a treasure. 

But some days after, when the prince was boasting of the 
virtue of his relics, he observed that a certain gentleman, 
who had been in his retinue at Rome, discovered uncommon 
incredulity. He demanded the reason. The gentleman, 
having been assured that the development should be the 
source of no unpleasant consequences to himself, confessed 
that on his return from Rome he had lost the box of relics, 
and that, fearing the displeasure of his prince, he had sub- 
stituted another exactly similar, and filled it with bones, &c. ; 
and, in short, that he had good reason to be astonished that 
miracles were performed by this heap of filth. The prince, 
wishing to expose the trick, sent for the monks, and asked 
them if there were no more demoniacs, who might need the 
relics. They soon brought another man, who was possessed 
with the devil, and no marvel, for the devil is generally to 
be found nestling in the vicinity of relics. The prince com- 
manded the ordinary exorcisms to be performed in his pre- 
sence ; but they were all useless. The devil was waiting 
for the box of holy bones. Christopher ordered the monks 
to withdraw, and sent the demoniac to some Tartars, whom 
he kept about his stable, with orders, to give the devil his 
due. They exhorted him to confess the imposture ; he re- 
plied by horrible gestures and grimaces. But six sturdy 
Tartars had no sooner begun to exorcise the devil with their 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. J 79 

whips, than he found himself taken on the weak side ; and, 
without the use of either relics, hard words, or holy water, 
he began to cry for quarter, and confessed that the monks 
had hired him to personate a character, which he was ill 
qualified to sustain. 

The monks were recalled, and confronted with the man, 
who confessed the fraud, and implored the mercy of the 
prince. At first, the holy fathers exclaimed that this was 
only an artifice of the devil, who spoke through the mouth 
of the demoniac. But the prince replied, that if his Tartars 
had devised a mode of constraining the devil to speak the 
truth, they might, perhaps, succeed in inspiring the monks 
with a similar love of veracity. The reverend fathers, ter- 
rified by the threatening mien of the Tartars, who prepared 
their whips for service, confessed the trick, and said, that 
they had practised the imposition with a good intention, in 
order to stop the progress of Lutheranism. The prince 
drove them from his presence, and at once renounced Po- 
pery.* 

But, in nothing does the idolatry of the church of Rome 
appear more manifest, than in the following decree of the 
Council of Trent. (Sess. 13. c. 5.) "The fliithful shall 
give to the holy sacrament of the altar, that divine 

ADORATION THAT IS DUE TO GOD ONLY ; and it THUSt be 

no reason to prevent this, that Christ our Lord gave it to 
he eaten.'''' Is not this equivalent to saying, " Jesus Christ 
gave the sacrament to his disciples, not to be adored, but 
eaten only ; but we command you to adore it !" I wish so- 
ber Roman Catholics to pause here, and reflect one moment. 
On pain of eternal damnation, God forbids us to bow down 
to or worship any created thing ; but the Council of Trent 



* See De Plancy. Art. Rellques. Also, M'Gavin's Prot. Vol. 
i. 394. 



180 VENERATION OP IMAGES AND RELICS. 

commands the faithful to give to the holy sacrament of the 
altar, that divine adoration which is due to God only ! If 
this be not daring and outrageous rebellion against God's 
authority, tell me what is. 

In conclusion, let me call upon you, my brethren, to be- 
ware how you sin against the Lord in this thing. What- 
ever your intentions may be, if you bow down to an image, 
representing the God of heaven, or to any saint in glory, 
or to any relic, the word of God convicts >you of idolatry. 
You cannot evade the charge by saying, that you only 
bow down before an image, and not to it. The Bible uses 
both terms indiscriminately. *' They that dwell in the wil- 
derness shall bow before him." (Ps. Ixxii.) " Come, let us 
kneel before the Lord our Maker." (Ps. xcv.) Bowing" 
down, and worshiping, are synonymous terms in the word 
of God. The same remark may be made concerning the 
kissing of images. This was the mode in which the hea- 
then worshiped their idol-gods. The prophet Hosea, (xiii. 2,) 
speaks of the Jews *' kissing the calves," the golden calves 
of Bethel and Dan, as the most jieinous idolatry ; and yet 
papists are taught, that it is no sin to kiss the crucifix, and 
the images of the Virgin Mary. The worship due to Jesus 
Christ, is expressed in Ps. ii. 12, by the words, "Kiss the 
Son." This very worship, so far as. external acts are con- 
cerned, Romanists pay to their images. It is said, that the 
great toe of the image of Peter, in Rome, has been actually 
kissed away by the devout citizens and strangers, who have, 
in the course of ages, done homage to it. 

My brethren, idolatry is no trifle; and they who are 
guilty of it will find it so. The history of the national calami- 
ties that befell the Jewish nation, before the coming of Christ, 
is a history of God's hatred of idolatr)^ and of his determi- 
nation to punish it.* As sure as God lives, and as his word 

* See my Scripture History of Idolatry. 



VENERATION OF IMAGES AND RELICS. jgj 

is true, no idolater can enter heaven ! I ask my hearers to 
try themselves, and their mode of worship, by God's word. 
A mistake, in this case, is fatal ; the soul once lost, is lost 
for ever. Surely, then, no man, who can think for himself, 
will be content to endorse the practices of any church, with- 
out inquiring whether they agree with the revelation of God's 
will, contained in his word. The practice of image wor- 
ship in all its grades and shades, is idolatry. Be persuaded, 
to cast your idols to the moles, and to the bats. " Come, 
let us worship and bow down ; let us kneel before the Lord 
our Maker ; for he is our God, and we are the people of 
his pasture. To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not 
your hearts." 



16 



LECTURE VI. 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 
John XX. 23. 

" RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST ; WHOSE SOEVER SINS YE REMIT, 
THEY ARE REAIITTED UNTO THEM ; AND WHOSE SOEVER SINS 
YE RETAIN, THEY ARE RETAINED." 

The tyranny which the Popish church exercises over 
the consciences and souls of men, becomes more apparent 
the further we proceed in our investigation of its principles. 
But in nothing is the spiritual despotism of the Man of Sin 
more evident than in the usurpation of the power to forgive 
sins. Before I proceed to examine the proofs offered in the 
Grounds of Cath. Doct., in support of this prerogative, which 
is most unjustly and impudently claimed by Romish priests, 
it will be necessary to state the doctrine, and the whole doc- 
trine, as it is taught in the standards of their church. The 
subject of auricular confession, or confession in the ear of 
a priest, is intimately connected with that of penance, which 
is one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic 
church. We are told in the Grounds of Calh. Doct., p. 34, 
that the confession of sins, with a sincere repentance, and 
the priest's absolution, constitute the sacrament of penance. 

I will read the decrees of the Council of Trent in relation 
to this subject. 

" The holy Council teaches, that the form of the sacra- 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 1Q3 

ment, wherein its power chiefly lies, resides in the words of 
the minister, * I absolve thee from thy sins in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' To 
which words certain prayers are added, by a laudable cus- 
tom of holy church, &c. 

" The universal church has always understood that a full 
confession of sins was instituted by the Lord as a part of 
the sacrament of penance, now explained, and that it is ne- 
cessary, by divine appointment, for all who sin after bap- 
tism : because our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was about 
to ascend from earth to heaven, left his priests in his place, 
as presidents and judges, to whom all mortal offences, into 
which the faithful might fall, should be submitted, that they 
might pronounce sentence of remission or retention of sins, 
by the power of the keys. For it is plain that the priests 
cannot sustain the office of judge, if the cause be unknown 
to them, nor inflict equitable punishments if sins are only 
confessed in general, and not minutely and individually de- 
scribed. For this reason it follows that penitents are bound 
to rehearse in confession all mortal sins, of which, after dili- 
gent examination of themselves, they are conscious, even 
though they be of the most secret kind, and only committed 
against the two last precepts of the decalogue, which 
sometimes do more grievously wound souls, and are more 
perilous than those which are open and manifest. For ve- 
nial offences, by which we are not excluded from the grace 
of God, and into which we so frequently fall, may be con- 
cealed without fault, and expiated in many other ways, 
although, as the pious custom of many demonstrates, they 
may be mentioned in confession very properly and usefully, 
and without any presumption. * * * * 

" The Council further teaches that even those priests^ who 
are living in mortal sin, exercise the function of forgiving 
sins, as the ministers of Christ, by the power of the Holy 



284 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

Spirit conferred vpon them in ordination ; and that those 
who contend tliat wicked priests have not this power, hold 
v€?'y erroneous sentiments. Again ; though the priest's ab- 
solution is the dispensation of a benefit, which belongs to 
another, yet it is not to be considered as merely a ministry, 
whether to publish the gospel or to declare the remission of 
sins, but as of the nature of a judicial act, in which sentence 
is pronounced hy him as a judge : and therefore the peni- 
tent ought not to flatter himself on account of his faith, so 
as that, though he should have no contrition, and though 
the priest should not intend to act seriously and really to 
absolve hi?n,* he should suppose that he is nevertheless truly 
absolved before God, on the ground of his faith only. For 
faith without penance cannot procure remission of sins; nor 
would any one, unless extremely negligent of his own salva- 
tion, be satisfied with a priest who absolved him jestingly, 
but would carefully seek for one who should be serious in 
the performance of his office. "f 

I would call your attention, my friends, to the last 
quotation more especially, because it clearly proves that 
we do not misrepresent the Romish tenets, when we say 
that the priest claims the power of forgiving sins as a 
judge. His sentence is a judicial act, expressly declared 
to be so. In connexion with this arrogant claim, there is 
a most unfortunate circumstance; it is this, the priest's good 
intention is necessary to the validity of the absolution which 
he gives. The Council of Trent expressly tell their peni- 
tents "that they ought not so to flatter themselves concern- 
ing their own faith,, as to think that they are absolved truly 
and before God, when the priest has not a mind to act se- 
riously, and truly to absolve them !" Unhappy penitents ! 

* The underscoring is mine. 

■\ Con. Trid, Sess. 14. cap. 3, 5 and 6, 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 2Q5 

No humiliation before an oflended God, no satisfaction made 
to an injured neighbour, no resolution or endeavour to 
amend, no real reformation of heart and life, nor all these 
together, can possibly avail anything without the good-will 
of the priest ! Nor is this the whole of this monstrous im- 
piety, for if the proper intention of the priest be essential, 
then God himself cannot absolve a sinner, unless the priest, 
when he pronounces the words of absolution, is so kind as 
to do it with the serious intention of his heart ! Now, I 
suppose some of the more ignorant of my Roman Catholic 
friends will think that after all, I have not fairly stated the 
doctrine of their church. To remove every doubt as to the 
propriety of this construction, I will read the canon referring 
to this matter. 

" Whoever shall affirm that the priest's sacramental abso- 
lution is not a judicial act, but only a ministry, to pronounce 
and declare that the sins of the party confessing are for- 
given, so that he believes himself to be absolved, even though 
the priest should not absolve seriously, but in jest ; or shall 
affirm that the confession of the penitent is not necessary in 
order to obtain absolution from the priest, let him be ac? 
cursed."* 

This doctrine of the necessity of the priest's good inten- 
tion hangs like a nether millstone about the neck of the Ro- 
mish sacraments. I defy a Romanist to prove that there 
is at this day any such thing as a priest, or indeed a Chris- 
tian in the world. According to their doctrine, all Chris- 
tians are in the communion of the Popish church ; out of its 
pale there is no salvation, and in the Romish church there 
is no salvation, unless the priest dispenses the sacraments 
with the proper intention. Now, when the priest baptized 
you, how can you tell that he performed the service with 

* Can. 9. De Sanct. Poenit. Sac. 
16* 



IgQ AURICULAR CONFESSION* 

the intention wliich the church requires? And how can the 
priest know whether the person from whom he received the 
sacrament (forsooth) of holy orders really intended to con- 
secrate him? If the intention was wanting, your baptism 
was not valid, and, according lo Popish doctrine, you must 
be rebaptized or be damned ! And if the bishop did not in- 
tend really to consecrate the priest, his ordination is not 
valid, and every official act he performs, according to the 
same principle, is also invalid ! There is another point that 
must be considered in this connexion. The penitent, before 
he can obtain absolution, must make satisfaction, and in 
order to accomplish this, certain punishments are enjoined 
at the discretion of the priest ; and these, in their canons, 
are called " a sort of compensation for an injury done." 
Now, let it be termed "a satisfaction made unto God, through 
Jesus Christ," as it is by the Council of Trent, and let it be 
coloured over ever so plausibly with the appearances of reli- 
gion, yet so long as it rests solely with the good pleasure of 
the priest what satisl'action shall be appointed, it is plain 
that the great concern after all is to satisfy Aim, and unless 
this is done, there is no absolution. Alms, in connexion with 
fasting and prayer, are the principal means of making satis- 
faction ; though there are innumerable other penances which 
the priest may impose. If this satisfaction be not made, let 
it consist of whatever penance it may, though the sinner 
should break his heart with contrition, and incur the great- 
est humiliation by exposing his secret sins, all this signifies 
nothing ; there is no absolution without satisfaction 1 The 
priests are judges and arbiters in the whole affair of repent- 
ance. There are, it is true, certain cases which are reserved 
to the decision of the Pope, and to bishops in their respective 
dioceses ; these are sins which a common priest cannot for- 
give, except when death threatens the penitent, and in that 
case, any priest may grant absolution. I shall proceed to 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. jq7 

examine the evidence offered in the Grounds of Cath. Doct., 
in support of this priestly authority. 

" What Scripture have you to prove that the bishop and 
priests of the church have power to absolve the sinner that 
confesses his sins with a sincere repentance?" 

John XX. 22, 23. " Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose 
sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose sins 
ye retain, they are retained." Matt, xviii. 18. " Verily I 
say unto you, whatsoever ye sliall bind on earth, shall be 
bound in heaven : and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth 
shall be loosed in heaven."'^ 

Then follows a quotation from the Episcopal prayer-book, 
the object of which is to show that Protestants agree with 
papists in their interpretation of this Scripture. Notwith- 
standing the authority of this rubric from the Book of Com- 
mon Prayer, we cannot yet subscribe to auricular confes- 
sion. The question with us is not, what does the Book of 
Common Prayer say, but what saith the Scripture? There 
is this important difference to be observed, however, that the 
confession of his sins to the minister is left optional with the 
penitent in the Episcopal church, whilst the church of Rome 
insists upon it as essential to salvation. We love our Epis- 
copal brethren with a })ure heart, fervently, and we honour 
their church as a portion of the true Catholic church of 
Christ ; but, in Christian charity be it said, we think the 
Reformation stopped a little too soon in the church of Eng- 
land. 

But to return to the proofs. " Whose sins ye remit, they 
are remitted," &c. In the first place, there is no mention 
made here of confession of sins, much less of auricular con- 
fession to a priest ; secondly, Christ defines the nature of 
the commission which he gave his apostles, when he says 

* Grounds of Cath. Doct , p. 34. 



188 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

in the preceding verse, "As my father hath sent me, so 
send [ you." Now Jesus was not sent to hear private con- 
fessions, and thereupon to give absolution, but by preaching 
to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the 
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were 
bound. Neither did he ever bind upon them any obligation 
to confess their sins in the ear of a popish priest. But waiv- 
ing this objection ; when Christ breathed upon the apostles 
as a token of conferring the Holy Ghost upon them, did heat 
the same time breathe upon all the priests that were to 
come into the world? Did he, by the same action, or by 
any other, convey the Holy Ghost to them? Now it is 
necessary that they who assume the right of remitting and 
retaining sins, should be able to prove to us that they have 
received the Holy Ghost. " Exactly so," says the papist, 
" and our church teaches that every priest, at his ordination, 
receives the Holy Ghost when the bishop consecrates him 
to his holy office." Then you must prove that the bishop 
has received authority to dispense the Spirit to whomsoever 
he thinks fit. This will be rather a hard matter. The 
Doway Bible as well as the Holy Bible teaches that the 
residue of the Spirit is with God, and not with either Pope, 
or Bishop, or Priest. Besides, we should naturally suppose 
that they who receive the Holy Ghost must be very holy 
men. Now, I have not the honour to be personally ac- 
quainted with any of the brotherhood, and consequently 
cannot speak from personal knowledge ; but I have St. 
Ligori's opinion of them. In his system of theology, a sy- 
nopsis of which is before me, he uses this language : 

" Among the priests who live in the world, it is rare, and 
very rare to find any that are good. For in order that a 
priest should be good in the world, it is necessary that he 
should lead a very exemplary life, remote from plays, from 
idleness, and from evil company. He should be given to 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. jgg 

prayer, and should frequent the sacraments ; but where is 
such a priest to be found, and we will praise him?"*^ 

Perhaps the saint refers to the Italian priests ; but then 
you know "holy church is always and everywhere the 
same;" this is her standino^ boast. In the iudo;ment of 
charily, I believe the priests in our country are not so cor- 
rupt as in some others. Indeed I know they are not. But 
according to Roman Catholic doctrine, the personal char- 
acter of the priest has nothing to do with the case; even 
those who are living in mortal sin exercise this function of 
forgiving sin. Here then we have the strange anomaly of 
a wicked priest, who has nevertheless received the Holy 
Ghost, whilst we are repeatedly told in the word of God, 
that the Spirit of God is a Spirit of holiness. We are 
warned not to grieve the Holy Ghost, by indulging in any 
known sin. If they have received the Holy Ghost, they 
must be holy men ; so that if you find A^'Y bad priests, you 
have " living epistles" from which all men may know and 
read the arrogance, presumption, and absurdity of popery. 

But the other text tells us, •' Whatsoever ye shall bind on 
earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever ye shall 
loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt, xviii. 18.) 
The power of binding and loosing is evidently the same as 
that of remitting and retaining sins. It was given not to 
Pettr only, but to all the apostles. But the Roman Catho- 
lic will tell us, " you cannot deny that the keys of the 
kin^idom of heaven were £[iven to Peter alone." I do not 
wish to deny it, for Christ says, speaking to Peter, " 1 will 
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." The 
keys were unquestionably given to Peter. The term " king- 
dom of heaven" is repeatedly used in the New Testament, 
(as all know who understand their Bible,) to designate the 

* Synopsis of Ligori's Theology, p. 73, 



190 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

gospel dispensation. " Repent, for the kingdonn of heaven is 
at hand." " The law and the prophets were until John ; 
since that lime the kingdom of God is preached, and every 
man presseth into it." In these passages, the phrases 
" kingdom of heaven," and " kingdom of God," are used to 
denote the gospel dispensation. The giving to Peter the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven manifestly receives its explication 
from his being first employed to preach the doctrines of the 
gospel after our Lord's resurrection and ascension. Who- 
ever was first after this event employed to preach the doc- 
trine of the kingdom of heaven, might very well be said to 
open the gates of that kingdom by the keys given to him- 
for that purpose. Now as some one person must be first 
in opening the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven ; so the 
grant of the keys was made to one person, to Peter alone, 
and never to any other; but the power of binding and loos- 
ing, mentioned in the same verse, (Matt. xvi. 19,) and in 
Matt, xviii. 18, and that of remitting and retaining sins in 
John XX. were granted to all the apostles as much as to 
him. Hence we see that the trite popish phrase of " the 
power of the keys," which has always been construed by 
papists as intimating the power of binding and loosing, has 
originated in a misapprehension of Scripture. Papists infer 
from this passage the supremacy of Peter. Peter had the 
keys and no one else. Peter was the first Pope, and Peter 
left the keys to his successor in the papal See. Did he in- 
deed ? By whose authority ? Did the Saviour say, " I give 
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," and I charge 
thee to leave them to thy successor?" No! If the power 
of the keys belonged to Peter, he had no right to give it 
away ; he exceeded his commission by one-half when he left 
his keys in the care of the Pope. How ineffably ridiculous 
does this claim of supremacy appear when examined by the 
simple light of Scripture. Christ assures Peter that in his 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. jgj 

preaching he should be enabled so effectually to deliver the 
terms on which the Lord would pardon sinners, that no one 
should fail of salvation who complied with them ; and so to 
denounce the terrors of God's wrath against unbelievers, 
that whosoever would not submit to the gospel, and accept 
of its salvation, should be forever damned. Thus they who 
were commissioned by Christ to preach the everlasting gos- 
pel, might justly be said by their declaration of its solemn 
truths, to bind as it were upon their disciples, the sin of re- 
jecting the counsel of God, or to loose those from their sins 
who embraced and believed the truth of God. The words 
cannot be taken literally without encroaching upon the pre- 
rogative of God. He alone has power to bind and to loose. 
He alone can forgive sins. " Who is a God like unto thee that 
pardoneth iniquity?" (Mic. vii. 18.) He only can destroy 
both soul and body in hell. " Fear not them that kill the 
body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him 
who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Hence 
the enmity of the Jews was always aroused against Christ, 
when, by virtue of his power as God, " he forgave sins." 
Said they, " This man blasphemeth." In addition to this, you 
know that when the Saviour wished to establish his claim to 
divinity, he did so by showing that he had power to forgive 
sins, and by confirming that claim by a miracle. " That 
ye may know that the Son of Man hath power upon earth 
to forgive sin, he saith to the sick of the palsy, " I say unto 
thee, arise, and take up thy couch and go unto thine house." 

Moreover, the passage in Matt, xviii. does not even re- 
motely relate to the subject of confession to a priest, but to 
the manner in which offenders are to be treated by the 
church when they refuse to listen to private and public ad- 
monition. 

But let us hear the Grounds of Cath. Doct. farther, 
" How do you prove from the texts above quoted, the ne- 



192 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 



cessity of the faithful confessing their sins to the pastors of 
the church in order to obtain the absolution and remission 
of them ? 

" Because in the text above quoted, Christ has made the 
pastors of his church liis judges in the court of conscience, 
with commission and authority to bind or to loose, to for- 
give or to retain sins, according to the merits of the cause, 
and the disposition of the penitents. Now as no judge can 
pass sentence without having a full knowledge of the cause, 
which cannot be had in this kind of causes, which regards 
men's consciences, but by their own confession, it clearly 
follows, that he who has made the pastors of his church the 
judges of men's consciences, has also laid an obligation upon 
the faithful to lay open the state of their consciences to them, 
if they hope to have their sins remitted. Nor would our 
Lord have given to his church the power of retaining sins, 
much less the keys of the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. xvi. 19,) 
if such sins as exclude men from the kingdom of heaven 
might be remitted independently of the keys of the church." 

It is a hard matter for those who have been educated in 
the principles of civil and religious liberty to repress the 
indignation which the avowal of such sentiments as these 
must awaken. *' Christ has made the priests his judges in 
the court of conscience, with commission and authority to 
bind or to loose, to forgive or retain sins, according to the 
merits of the cause, and the disposition of the penitents ! 1" 
Of the merits of every cause, the priests of course are the 
sole arbiters. U this be not the quintessence of despotism 
and arrogance, then I say there is no such thing as tyranny 
on earth ! If Christ has made the priests his judges in the 
court of conscience, they may enjoin any act of wickedness 
which they choose, and the good papist must obey his 
ghostly tyrants, or lose his soul. He gives his conscience 
entirely into the care of the priest, and after thus bowing 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. ] 93 

down and forgetting that God made him a man, and gave 
him a mind to think for himself, and a conscience to regu- 
late his conduct, he is prepared for any atrocity which the 
priests may require. He can comfort himself with the re- 
flection, that if the deed is sinful, the guilt rests with the 
priest, the keeper of his conscience ; and the last of the fifty 
reasons which the papist can assign for not being a Protest- 
ant may be that which the Duke of Brunswick mentions as 
so very consoling ; that if he should be so unfortunate as to 
die in a state of mortal sin,^is priest had promised to be 
damned in his stead. Ah ! my friend, if you die in your 
sins, if you make another man the keeper of your con- 
science, " and bow down that he may go over," you will 
find to your sorrow that you cannot be damned by proxy. 
I shall call up this subject again before I close, and I there- 
fore proceed to the next proof which is offered in the Grounds 
of Cath. Doct. p. 36 : " When a man shall have in the skin 
of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in 
the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy, then he shall 
be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons 
the priests." Now there is certainly no mention here of 
confession of sins ; the man is brought to the priest to ascer- 
tain the nature of the eruption on his skin, not to confess 
his sins. " Well," the papist will tell us, " this, according 
to the holy fathers, was emblematical of the confession of 
sins in the sacrament." But the earliest of these fathers say 
nothing about auricular confession. " Some of the later fa- 
thers, however, teach this doctrine." Is it so? Then some 
of the holy fathers must have been very much straitened for 
Scripture evidence in support of auricular confession ; for 
observe, 

1. The infected person was not to come and confess him- 
self a leper to the priest ; but the priest was to judge him so, 
and to pronounce him a leper ; " the priest shall look on 
17 



jg^ AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

him, and pronounce him unclean ;" Lev. xiii. 3, and then 
the leper was to cry and confess, not to the priest, but to 
the people that he was unclean, verse 45. 

2. Again, there was a plain law, requiring the priest to 
pronounce judgment in case of leprosy ; but where is the 
law which requires only a priest to hear private confession? 
Not in the Bible, certainly. 

3. The priest's examination of the leper was not in pri- 
vate, but in the presence of others. 

4. The priest did not alwa^l* declare the person to be free 
from a leprosy ; but the popish priest always absolves the 
sinner upon due confession of his sins. 

These points are sufficient to show that the holy fathers 
have not selected a very appropriate emblem to represent 
the sacrament of penance. 

I proceed to the next proof that is offered. " In the same 
law, a special confession of sins was expressly prescribed. 
(Num. v. 6, 7.) When a man or woman shall commit any 
sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, 
and that person be guilty ; then they shall confess their sins 
which they have done." 

But this does not speak of confessing in the ear of a priest, 
the man or woman was not required to enumerate every evil 
thout^ht, word, or deed ; and to ransack every corner of his 
conscience, as papists must; but the context shows that 
reference is here made to certain fraudulent transactions for 
which restitution was due. Now whenever restitution is 
made, reason demands that the details of the case be ac- 
knowledged in order to show why and for what the indem- 
nification is offered. Besides, this text does not speak of 
confession to a priest. It may have been to God, or it may 
have been to the party wronged ; and at all events, if it was 
made to a priest, he did not sit in a corner of the tabernacle 
and let the penitent whisper in his ear, for it will be remem- 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. I95 

bered that the common people never came into the taber- 
nacle, but always met the priest in the outer court where it 
was impossible to be private. 

The next Scripture adduced in the Grounds of Cath. Doct. 
is James v. 16. " Confess your sins, one to another: i. e. 
to the priests or elders of the church, whom the apostle has 
ordered to be called for." (v. 14.) It is very important that the 
words '• one to another," should mean " the priests or el- 
ders ;" hence we cannot deny that this explanation is very 
convenient. " Confess your faults one to another, and pray 
one for another, that ye may be healed." If this text is to 
support auricular confession, it is plain, that after the priest 
has heard the confession of his penitent, he must confess 
his sins in turn. ** Confess your faults, one to another;'''* 
and after the priest has prayed for the person who has con- 
fessed, he must request that individual to return the favour, 
that he too may be healed. " Pray one for another, that ye 
may be healed." I need not say, that such a course as this 
would be derogatory to the dignity of those " whom Christ 
has made his judges in the court of conscience." 

One text more, and the proofs of Pope Pius are exhausted. 
" Many that believed, came and confessed, and showed their 
deeds." (Acts xix. 18.) But if auricular confession is a duty 
incumbent on all the faithful, why did only many that be- 
lieved, come and confess? Why did they not all come? 
Moreover, if this is a proof that confession is to be made in 
the ear of a priest, why was this confession made in public? 
Why did they not drop down on their knees before father 
Paul, in his confessional-box, and make the sign of the 
cross, and kiss the good apostle's hand, and go over their 
confiteor, and whisper their sins in his ear? They went to 
work openly, not in a dark corner; they brought their bad 
books, and burned them before all the people.* I do wish 

* Acts xix. X8, 19. 



196 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

the priests would let their light shine before men, in the 
same way. 

Now, 1 would not have any of my hearers suppose that 
Protestants do not believe it proper to confess their sins. 
We believe confession to be an important part of repentance. 
We confess our sins to God. We believe it to be incum- 
bent upon Christians, to examine themselves daily ; to make 
daily and particular confession to Him, who seeth in secret. 
We also believe it right, in some instances, to confess our 
sins to our brethren. If I have wronged a brother, and am 
convinced of my error, it is a privilege, not a penance, to 
go to him, and confess the injury, and make restitution to 
the best of my ability. We also admit, that when men find 
their consciences burdened and distressed, they may some- 
times profitably reveal their case to a Christian minister, 
and be benefited by his counsel and prayers ; but if this is 
done, it is optional with the person who makes the confes- 
sion. He is nowhere commanded to confess to a priest; 
much less is he authorized to expect absolution from a fel- 
low-sinner. We expect absolution only through faith in the 
meritorious sacrifice of Christ. " In Him, we have redemp- 
tion, through his blood," not through the " absolvo te" of a 
Popish priest. 

As to the matter of penance, of which auricular confession 
is only a part, I ask, where is there a single passage in the 
whole New Testament, which enjoins the performance of a 
Romish penance? An uneducated papist will tell us, that 
penance is enjoined again and again. So it is, in the Doway 
Bible; but a learned Priest knows very well, that the true 
meaning of the Greek ijn-tavoio. and fn-tavosiv is not exhibit- 
ed by the expressions " penance," and " to do penance." 
Those words, from the very necessity of their etymology, 
relate not to any outward austerities, but purely and exclu« 
sively to that moral change of mind, which we denominate 



Auricular confession. 



197 



" repentance.^'' Every priest, who understands Greek, must 
laugh in his sleeve, when he imposes penance. 

But all these objections to auricular confession are only 
secondary ; and, having disposed of the proofs, which Pope 
Pius offers in support of this practice of the Romish church, 
we will proceed to bring forward still stronger reasons 



agamst it. 



1. Auricular confession, as established in the church of 
Rome, tends to the grossest immorality and profigacy. 
You will remember the arrogant claim of the Popish priests. 
They profess to be judges in the court of conscience. They 
bind and loose at their pleasure; and, in order to enable them 
to act understandingly, of course it is necessary that the se- 
crets of the soul should all be laid open to their scrutiny. 
Under this pretext, the most immodest and filthy questions 
are put to the penitents who come to confess their sins. 
The sixlh volume of Dens' Moral Philosophy is devoted 
entirely to penance, auricular confession, and the connected 
topics. 

I will read a {q.\v paragraphs, as specimens of the practi- 
cal casuistry of the existing Romish priesthood. 

" De Interrogationibus Faciendis ;" concerning the inter- 
rogatories propounded at confession. " The priest ought to 
examine the conscience of the sinner at confession, as a phy- 
sician does a wound, and a judge a cause; because, fre- 
quently, that which the person confessing would retain in 
silence, will be revealed by inquiries." " There are two rea- 
sons why sin is not disclosed : shame and fear, or ignorance 
and simplicity. If the confessor observes that the penitent 
is reserved, through shame and fear, he must begin his in- 
terrogatories from the greater sins, such as homicide, adul- 
tery, sacrilege, &c., because the penitent will promptly an- 
swer, that it is not so enormous a crime, and will then dis- 
close the truth to evade suspicion of the greater transgres- 

17* 



198 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

sion. If the confessor perceives that the acknowledgment 
of sin is evaded through ignorance or simplicity, he must 
commence his questions by the minor offences."* 

Then follows a paragraph concerning questions relative 
to particular details, succeeded by another, concerning the 
sins of particular conditions. Some of the questions upon 
this topic are so vile that I dare not copy them. Suffice it 
to say, the ghostly fathers propound interrogations which 
must, originally, have been conceived by minds familiar 
with the grossest pollutions of the dens of infamy and pros- 
titution. If the questions laid down in Dens' Theology, re- 
cently republished in Ireland, and in use at the Roman Ca- 
tholic college at Maynooth,an approved text-book on Moral 
Theology, are really put at confessionals in this city, then 
I cannot conceive how any Roman Catholic, who has any 
regard for the virtue of his wife or daughters, will suffer 
them to go to confession. 

The following questions, to be answered at confession, 
are found in the Philadelphia edition of " The Key of 
Paradise," approved by the Roman prelate of this city, 
p. 115. 

1. "Have you been guilty of adultery or fornication, 
and how often ? 2. Have you desired to commit either, and 
how often ? 3. Have you intended to commit either, and 
how often ? 4. Have you taken pleasure in thinking on 
any improper subject, and how often ? 5. Have you en- 
deavoured to excite your own passions, and how often? 
6. Have you been guilty of indecent liberties, and how of- 
ten? 7. Have you read indecent writings, or lent them to 
others, and how often ? 8. Have you exposed indecent pic- 
tures? 9. Have you joined in indecent conversation, and 
how often ? 10. Have you committed any gross sin against 
chastity ?" 

* Illustr. of Pop. p, 342. 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. jgg 

All Roman Catholic men and women, and boys and girls, 
above twelve years of age, must study all the above ques- 
tions ; and carefully and truly answer them to the priest, or 
they cannot obtain absolution. 

I have before me a form of examination in French, and 
another in Spanish ; but, although they would be intelligible 
to but few of my readers, I shall not pollute my pages by tran- 
scribing them. Indeed, I feel as though I had gone to the 
utmost verge of propriety by consenting to transfer the pre- 
ceding list, which is published in an authorized Roman Ca- 
tholic book, in our own city. I shall not insult the under- 
standings of my readers by attempting to prove the corrupt 
tendency of such questions, especially when propounded to 
children.^ 

I am not surprised that a young Roman Catholic lady 
declared most solemnly, to a Protestant friend, a short time 
since, " I never will go to confession, and 1 told the priest 
so." I do not wonder that several Roman Catholic ladies, 
who were converted last winter, and connected themselves 
with a Baptist church in this city, have since expressed 
their amazement at their own blindness and stupidity in ever 
letting the priest put certain interrogatories to them more 
than once. One of them has declared, that frequently, after 
returning from " confession," she has spent the whole day 
in weeping tears of shame, on account of the impudent 
questions which were put to her, and which she honestly 
believed herself obliged to answer. Were it not for the 
perverting, soul-destroying influence of superstition, I am 
sure that modest people would never be found at the con- 
fessional. 

But it is not only through corrupting questions and solici- 

* See Confessions of a Catholic Priest, chap. 13. 



200 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

tations llmt injury is done to the souls of men and women, 
the doctrine of absohition is alike destructive to all morality 
and piety. Let a man, viciously disposed, be taught that a 
priest can absolve him from almost any crime to which his 
wicked heart is inclined, and what stronger temptation could 
you offer in order to make him riot in wickedness? If the 
case should even be beyond the jurisdiction of a priest, the 
bishop can probably grant a dispensation for money, and at 
the worst, the Pope can certainly do it ; and is not the papist 
taught to believe that the Great Judge of all the earth has so 
far put the matter out of his own power, that he must con- 
firm, in heaven, the judicial sentence which the priest, or 
bishop, or Pope, as the case may be, shall pass upon earth? 
What regard will such a man pay to the law of God? 
What will his piety be worth ? Will he not despise the doc- 
trines which leach that the corrupt affeclions of the heart 
must be mortified, and that without holiness no man shall 
seethe Lord? The grossest abuses obtain in relation to 
absolution. There are some confessors who are called deaf, 
not because they cannot, but because they will not hear, and 
who never deny absolution, though the sins be referred to 
the Pope. Anthony Gavin speaks of them as follows: — 

" One of such confessors has more business in Lent than 
twenty of the others, for he, (like our couple-beggars, who 
for sixpence do marry the people,) for the same sum gives 
absolution. And for this reason all the great and habitual 
sinners go to the deaf confessor, who gives, upon a bargain, 
a certificate, in which he says that such, a one has fulfilled 
the commandment of the church, for every body is obUged 
to produce a certificate of confession to the minister of the 
parish before Easter, or else he must be exposed to the 
church. So as it is a hard thing for any old sinner to get 
absolution, and a certificate from other covetous confessors, 
without a great deal of money, they generally go to the 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 201 

deaf confessor. I had a friend in the same convent, who 
told nne, that such confessors were obliged to give two-lhirds 
of their profit to the community, and there being only two 
deaf confessors in that convent, he assured me that in one 
Lent, they gave to the father prior 600 pistoles a-piece,"* &c. 

2. Auricular confession^ as practised in the church of 
Rome, is destructive of civil and religious liberty. 

I make no scruple in asserting that this is the grand secret 
of the despotism that prevails, wherever popery is fairly es- 
tablished. The priest sits as "judge in the court of con- 
science," and the good papist, like a poor criminal, is ar- 
raigned at his bar. He is taught to reverence his fellow- 
sinner as the representative of God, clothed with plenary 
power to bind or to loose at pleasure, to forgive all his sins, 
or to consign him to hell and damnation for ever! Can 
such a man stand erect as a freeman 1 Why, his spirit is 
crushed and broken, — he is a slave / Tf the priest imposes a 
penance, he must perform it, or endure it, as the case may 
be, or else incur the guilt of mortal sin ! If he comes into 
a Protestant church to hear a sermon on auricular confes- 
sion, or any other popish tenet, he will have to confess that 
sin to his priest, and wo betide him then. It is well for him 
that the offence was not committed in a papal country, and 
as it is, perhaps he may be compelled to go without his 
breakfast for two weeks, or wear a hair cloth next his skin, 
or be reminded in some other pleasant way of his misde- 
meanor, besides paying a smart fee before he can get abso- 
lution. 

We hear a great deal said about slavery in our day ; and I 
abhor oppression in every shape ; but I count the poor slave, 
who hoes his master's corn under the lash of a heartless 
overseer, a freeman, when compared with the man who 

* Master-key to Poperj', p. 50. 



202 AURICUI.AR CONFESSION. 

breathes the atmosphere of liberty, and yet voluntarily fet- 
ters his soul, and surrenders himself, bound hand and foot, 
to the sovereign will and pleasure of a popish priest! I 
blush for my countrymen, when I think of such degrada- 
tion ! " The priest sits as judge in the court of conscience!" 
Can you acknowledge this claim, and yet call yourself a 
freeman? What, if the priest makes it a matter of con- 
science that you vote for a certain political candidate ? 
Will you exercise the right, guarantied to you by the con- 
stitution of your country, of choosing for yourself? You 
cannot — you dare not contradict the priest, you must vote 
as his reverence directs. If the priest " sits as judge in the 
court of conscience," then your conscience is under his 
control, and if so, there is an end of religious liberty, for 
this consists in the right of worshiping God according to 
the dictates of conscience. You have no right to surrender 
this privilege, and if you do, God will still hold you account- 
able for it. 

But in reply to all this, Roman Catholics may be ready to 
say, Has not the confessional been often made the medium 
through which restitution of stolen property has been made? 
That such restitution has sometimes occurred, I most cheer- 
fully admit: when of unusual importance, care has been 
taken to give due publicity to the fact. But the very principles 
which govern the priest and his penitent at the confessional, 
are enough to show that restitution does not necessarily fol- 
low the acknowledgment of theft. The priest is bound, un- 
der the most solemn oath, never to divulge the secrets with 
which he becomes acquainted at the confessional. Even if 
the intention to murder the highest officer of the government 
were to be revealed under such circumstances, the priest 
dare not warn the party threatened of the impending danger, 
unless he can, by stratagem or otherwise, obtain the infor- 
niation elsewhere, from the same individual. It has often 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 2()3 

happened that Romish priests have been informed by their 
penitents of a murderous plan, which has subsequently been 
executed, but the secrecy of the confessional forbade them 
to give the least intimation to the victim of his danger. I 
have before me a pamphlet written by the Rev. L. J. Nolan, 
lately a Romish clergyman, but now a curate of the estab- 
lished church at Athboy, in Ireland, which contains the fol- 
lowing statements, of the truth of which I have no doubt. 
He refers to two instances, which are precisely in point. 

" The first is the case of a person who was barbarously 
murdered, and with whose intended assassination I became 
acquainted at confession. One of the five conspirators, (all 
of whom were sworn to commit the horrid deed,) broached 
to me the bloody conspiracy in the confessional. I implored 
him to desist from his intention, of becoming an accomplice 
to so diabolical a design. But, alas ! all advice was useless; 
no dissuasion could prevail, his determination was fixed — 
and his only reason for having disclosed the awful machina- 
tion to his confessor, seemed to have originated from a hope, 
that his wicked design would be hallowed by his previous 
acknowledgment of it to his priest. Finding all my remon- 
strance unavailing, I then recurred to stratagem. I earn- 
estly besought of him to mention the circumstance to me 
out of the confessional, in order that I might apprise the in- 
tended victim of his danger, or caution the conspirators 
against the committal of so inhuman a deed. But here in- 
genuity itself failed, in arresting the career of his salanic 
obstinacy. The conspirator's illegal oath, and his appre- 
hension of himself becoming the victim of brutal assassina- 
tion, should he be known as the revealer of the conspiracy, 
rendered him inflexible to my entreaties ; and awful to re- 
late — yes, awful, and the hand that now pens it shudders at 
the record it makes — a poor inoffensive man, the victim of 
slaughter, died a most cruel death by the hand of ruthless 



204 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

assassins. Oh, my dear Protestant countrynnen, you will 
now naturally ask, whether am I, or the perpetrators of the 
bloody deed, most to be censured? I who knew the mur- 
derers and the murdered previous to the act, — I who had 
met the intended victim of slaughter in the public streets but 
a short lime antecedent to his death. But, my friends, the 
prejudices of my early life in favour of the doctrine of auri- 
cular confession, and the influence of subsequent education, 
instilling into my mind the inviolability of that iniquitous 
tribunal, must plead before my God and the public, as my 
only apology for the concealment of the diabolical conspira- 
cy. And now you, Romish priests, I ask you, could the 
Lord Jesus institute a doctrine so monstrous in its practice, 
and so subversive of the principles of humanity ? — a doctrine 
that beholds the dagger pointed at the human heart, but 
hushes the warning voice that would apprise the devoted 
victim of his danger? I must now proceed with the recital 
of another case more revolting to humanity, than even the 
former one. It is that of a female administering poison to 
her parent. Her first attempt at parricide proved ineffectual, 
owing to an immediate retching that seized the parent after 
taking the draught. The perpetrator of this foul deed after- 
ward came to confession and acknowledged her guilt, but 
circumstances proved that she only sought for priestly abso- 
lution, to ease her mmd and prepare her for a speedy repe- 
tition of the heinous crime. Again she attempted the act, 
and it proved successful. I was called on to attend the 
dying parent. The unnatural throes and convulsive agonies 
of the unfortunate man, convinced me that the disease was 
of no ordinary nature. The previous confession of his 
daughter, \vho at this time made her appearance, rushed 
upon my mind, and suggested that the parent was a second 
time poisoned. From what I had known through the con- 
fessional, I could not even hint at the propriety of sending 



AURICULAR CONFESSION. 



205 



for medical attendance ; for the Romish doctrine impressed 
an inviolable secrecy upon my lips, and prevented my giv- 
ing the slightest intimation of the malady ; whilst the poor 
parent, unconscious of the cause of his death, died in the 
most excruciating agonies of which humanity can form a 
conception. Oh, my Roman Catholic countrymen, why 
not awaken from your lethargic slumbers — why not arise 
from the mystic spells that bind you, and cast off that unna- 
tural yoke, which would dare to unite your God in an un- 
holy alliance with such monkish blasphemy? Should any, 
unacquainted with Romanism, question the veracity of these 
statements, let him consult history, and he will find many 
similar facts. Did not the Romish priest, the Rev. Mr. 
Garnet, the provincial of the Jesuits, justify his concealment 
of the gunpowder plot, on the pretext of its being revealed 
to him at confession? Did not Father D'Aubigny, the 
French Jesuit, put forward a similar plea of justification for 
concealment, when the assassin Ravaillac, (that stabbed 
Henry the IV.) in 1610, acknowledged to him in the con- 
fessional his plan of regicidal murder? But why need I 
refer to such circumstances, as every priest who has acted 
in the capacity of a confessor, must admit the fact of simi- 
lar cases frequently coming before him at the confessional?" 
I bless God, my dear hearers, that our Roman Catholic 
brethren are beginning to open their eyes to the iniquities of 
the popish system, and that many of them are embracing 
the pure gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. My very soul 
has been refreshed to hear of a Roman Catholic priest, in 
Ireland, who, with his whole congregation, has publicly re- 
nounced popery, and is now a Presbyterian minister in con- 
nexion with the synod of Ulster, having charge of the same 
congregation whom he had served, or rather ruled, whilst a 
Roman Catholic priest. 
18 



206 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 

Do you ask how this conversion was effected ? I will tell 
you. He and his congregation became interested in the ex- 
amination of the great Protestant doctrines, and like the 
noble Bereans of old, they searched the Scriptures to see 
whether these things were so. *' They proved all things, 
and held fast that which is good." When did you ever 
hear of a well authenticated case of a Protestant renounc- 
ing his faith, in consequence of reading the Bible, with 
humble prayer to God for the light of his Spirit ? And 
when was it ever known that a whole congregation, with 
their minister at their head, abjured the Protestant faith, as 
the result of a prayerful investigation of God's word ? Were 
such a phenomenon to occur, it would indeed be a new thing 
under the sun. 

I am persuaded, that if all men would imitate the Bereans, 
whom the apostle so highly commends, the word of God 
would speedily overturn the strongest bulwarks of the Man 
of Sin. That day will come ere long ; you and I may not 
live to see it, but the signs of the times, and the voice of 
prophecy combine to assure us, that it i& near at hand. 
Babylon shall be judged ; the mother of the abominations of 
the earth shall perish in her own craftiness. Yet a little 
while, and he that shall come, will come. Yet a little while, 
and the angel testifies to the churches, " Come out of her 
my people, and be ye not partakers of her sins, lest ye re- 
ceive also of her plagues." 



LECTURE VII. 



INDULGENCES. 
Acts iv. 12. 

** THERE IS NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN, 
WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED." 

The doctrine of indulgences is intimately connected with 
that of penance, and both these inventions of the Man of 
Sin have been sources of immense revenue to the Papal See. 
The Roman Catholic church teaches that when sin is for- 
given, though the eternal punishment due to every trans- 
gression and disobedience is wholly remitted, there always 
remains some temporal punishment, which the sinner must 
undergo, or else make satisfaction, either before his death 
or in purgatory. This satisfaction is to be made by means 
of fasts, alms, penances, and other meritorious deeds, per- 
formed in obedience to priestly injunction. But after all 
that the poor papist can do, though he be ever so obedient 
and dutiful, there is a heavy balance against him ; for this, 
however, holy church has not forgotten to provide. It has 
been ascertained that there is an immense treasure of unap- 
plied merit, partly accruing from the sufferings and death of 
the Saviour, and partly from works of supererogation, per- 
formed by the blessed saints. These works of supereroga- 
tion are meritorious deeds, performed by the saints over and 



208 INDULGENCES. 

above the amount necessary to secure the salvation of their 
own souls; and from this redundancy of merit, his holiness 
the Pope is authorized to appropriate a quantum sufficii to 
make up the deficiency in the merits of those among the 
faithful, who are less holy than they ought to be. The 
pontiff, therefore, has the power of granting a remission of 
the temporal punishment due to the sinner, on such condi- 
tions as he may choose to prescribe. This remission of the 
temporal punishment due to sin, is called an indulgence. 
This we learn from Pope Pius' Grounds of Cath. Doct. p. 80. 

" What do you mean by indulgences ? 

" Not leave to commit sin, nor pardon for sins to come : 
but only a releasing, by the power of the keys committed 
to the church, the debt of temporal punishment, which may 
remain due upon account of our sins, after the sins them- 
selves, as to the guilt and eternal punishment, have been 
already remitted by contrition, confession, and absolution." 

I shall pursue my usual course in discussing the subject 
before us; first examine the proofs that are offered in sup- 
port of the doctrine, and then state the objections to it. 

" Can you prove from Scripture that there is a punish- 
ment often due upon an account of our sins after the sins 
themselves have been remitted ? 

" Yes, this evidently appears in the case of king David, 
2 Kings xii. where although the prophet Nathan, upon his 
repentance, tells him, v. 13, "The Lord hath put away thy 
sin." Yet he denounces unto him many terrible punish- 
ments, V. 10—14, which should be inflicted by reason of 
this sin, which accordingly afterwards ensued." 

I will read the passages to which we are referred, "Now, 
therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house; 
because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of 
Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus sailh the Lord, 
Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own 



INDULGENCES. 20& 

house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and will 
give them unto thy neighbour, &c. ; for thou didst it secretly ; 
but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 
And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the 
Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath 
put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by 
this deed thou hast given great occasion to ihe enemies of 
the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee 
shall surely die." Now, so far as the abstract proposition 
is concerned, I agree entirely with Roman Catholics in the 
article, which teaches that God frequently, and indeed gene- 
rally entails certain temporal consequences, call them penal 
consequences if you will, upon every flagrant violation of 
his law, even after the eternal punishment has been remitted : 
e. g. the drunkard may reform his vicious habits, he may 
confess and forsake that sin and every other, and believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ as the great atoning sacrifice for sin ; 
in short, he may be saved from the pains of hell, yet that 
drunkard will carry down to his grave the bodily inconve- 
niences which have resulted from his intemperance. His 
body may be racked with pain, and his shattered constitu- 
tion and ruined health, may keep his iniquity fresh in re- 
membrance. And so in various other instances, temporal 
afflictions may ensue after the eternal punishment has been 
remitted. This is all just and proper. For salvation is of 
grace, not of works, lest any man should boast. If God 
remits any part of the penalty, it is all of mercy : and be- 
cause satisfaction has been made by Jesus Christ for all who 
will believe, God can be just, and yet the justifier of him that 
believes in Jesus. If the Lord, then, sees fit to retain any 
of the temporal effects of sin, he has a perfect right to do so, 
and indeed we are so constituted that the temporal conse- 
quences of sin are necessarily entailed upon us ; it is a feature 
of the economy under which we are placed, that every action 

18* 



210 INDULGENCES. 

has more or less bearing upon our happiness in tinne as well 
as in eternity. The very first transgression of the law of 
God, which ever disgraced our world, is an affecting proof 
of this. Adam and Eve were driven from Paradise because 
they disobeyed a simple precept of that law. Now, though 
there is every reason to believe that the grace of God was 
magnified in the final salvation of our first parents, yet the 
temporal efl^ecls of their sin followed them, and have follow- 
ed every generation, and will follow every one of us to the 
grave. 

" But the diflference between us and the church of Rome, 
is this ; we affirm that there is no such thing as commuting 
the temporal punishment by means of alms or fastincr, or 
any thing else. This temporal penalty must be endured ; 
there is no escape from it. The debauchee cannot com- 
pound with the Pope for the restoration of his health ; it is 
gone, irrecoverably gone ; fasting and alms, and ave marias, 
and all the machinery of popery will never bring back the 
vigour of youth. So too the man who has lost his good 
name by some gross violation of the laws of his country, 
will always bear about him that stain upon his reputation, 
even after he has sincerely repented of it. God may even, 
as in the case of David, inflict extraordinary judgments upon 
a transgressor, and adapt the punishment to the crime in so 
remarkable a manner, as to let all the world know that there 
is a God who rules in righteousness ; but he has no where 
told us that he has put it in the power of the Pope to avert, 
or commute these judgments by the substitution of any other 
penalties which his pretended vicar-general may prescribe. 
This is the point to be proved. An attempt to establish 
this claim is made by appealing to the " power of the keys," 
as we shall presently see. 

" Upon what Scripture do you ground this? 

♦' The power of granting indulgences was left by Christ to 



INDULGENCES. 211 

the church, Matt. xvi. 19. 'I will give unto thee the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shall bind 
on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou 
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' " 

In my last discourse I had occasion to advert to these 
words, and I then gave what I believe to be the true mean- 
ing of the passage. I will repeat the explanation in a few 
words. The phrases " kingdom of heaven and kingdom of 
God," are frequently used in the New Testament to denote - 
the gospel dispensation. Thus John the Baptist says, " Re- 
pent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," i. e. the gospel 
dispensation is about to be ushered in ; and the Saviour says, 
" The law and the prophets were until John, since that time 
the kingdom of God is preached," i. e. the gospel is preached. 
The Doway Bible renders the former text, " Do penance, 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ;" but the other pass- 
age is the same as in the Holy Bible. When Christ tells 
Peter " I give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," 
he means " I give unto thee the keys of the gospel dispensa- 
tion," i. e. thou shalt open the preaching of the gospel ; thou 
shalt be the first to declare the great and glorious truth, 
which is the rock upon which my church is built ; the truth 
that I am the Christ, the Son of the living God. Accord- 
ingly Peter preached the first gospel sermon after the dnalh 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, on that ever memorable day of 
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, and two 
thousand were pricked to the heart. As to the power of 
binding and loosing, forgiving and retaining sins, you will 
remember this was conferred upon the other apostles as well 
as upon Peter, and meant no more than that they should be 
empowered so to preach the gospel as to declare everlasting 
death upon its despisers, and to offer eternal life to every 
believer, with the full knowledge that this declarative sen- 
tence would be ratified in heaven. This is the plain mean- 



2J2 INDULGENCES. 

ing of the Scripture which the Pope construes as the grand 
charter hy which the power of granting indulgences is con- 
ferred upon holy church. That it is a forced and unnatural 
interpretation, and altogether foreign to the literal meaning 
and to the whole scope of the passage, will be sufficiently 
apparent, if we just place the text by the side of the Pope's 
comment. *' I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall 
be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on 
earth, shall be loosed in heaven." " This means," says the 
Romish interpreter, " The power of granting indulgences 
was left by Christ to the church." Indulgences 1 Pray, 
what are they ? There is nothing said here about indul- 
gences ; the word is not to be found in the whole Bible ; how 
then can this passage refer to indulgences ? " What do you 
mean by indulgences? 

" Not leave to commit sin, nor pardon for sins to come; 
but only a releasing by the power of the keys committed to 
the church, the debt of temporal punishment, which may 
remain due upon account of our sins, after the sins them- 
selves, as to the guilt and eternal punishment have been 
already remitted by contrition, confession, and absolution." 

I leave it to the candour of any man open to conviction, 
whether this is not proof enough that indulgences are a 
popish invention ; the word is not in the Bible, and papists 
must commence by telling us what is meant by indulgences. 
Let the common sense of any one who has not surrendered 
the right of private judgment, decide whether the claim of 
holy church to the power of granting indulgences is sus- 
tained by Peter's being commissioned to preach the first 
gospel sermon after the work of redemption was finished ! 
*' But," says the Roman Catholic, " we have an instance in 
Scripture of St. Paul's granting an indulgence to the Corin- 
thians whom he had put under penance for incest, 2 Cor. ii. 



INDULGENCES. 213 

10. * To whom ye forgave any thing, (he speaks of the 
incestuous sinner whom he had desired them now to receive,) 
T forgave also; for if I forgave any thing to whom I forgave 
it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ,' that is, 
by the power and authority received from him." 

Paul did not grant any such thing as an indulgence to the 
incestuous sinner at Corinth; neither did he put him under 
penance. Indulgences and penance were never dreamed of 
in Paul's day ; nor for many a long day after Paul had gone 
to his rest. But I will tell you what he did. Many of the 
Corinthians had been corrupted by a false teacher, and had 
been persuaded by this deceiver that Paul was not a true 
apostle, and that he had not preached the pure gospel. In 
consequence of the doctrines of this deceiver, the church 
was thrown into great disorder, the personal holiness of many 
of its members was hindered and impaired, and discipline was 
so greatly relaxed, that they permitted an incestuous mem- 
ber to remain in their communion. For this Paul rebukes 
them sharply, and enjoins upon them to separate that mem- 
ber from the church. Farther, to let them know that he is 
a true apostle, and invested with apostolic authority, he, by 
the direction of the Holy Spirit, inflicts upon that man a 
bodily sickness which was intended to lead the sinner to re- 
pentance, and to convince the church that the power of the 
Lord Jesus Christ was with him as an apostle. There are 
several instances of the exercise of this power recorded in 
the book of Acts ; thus Ananias and Sapphira and Bar-Jesus, 
(or Elymas,) the sorcerer, were punished ; but whenever this 
supernatural authority was exercised, it was always done by 
the special direction of the Spirit; it was not arbitrary. In 
the present instance, Paul writes that it had been done " with 
many tears." 

This incestuous sinner, then, was punished ; he repented 
of his sin, and upon evidence of his sorrow, the church was 



214 INDULGENCES. 

disposed to forgive the scandal which he had brought upon 
them. Upon this Paul writes, " To whom ye forgive any 
thing, I forgive also : for if I forgave any thing, to whom I 
forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ." 
As if he had said, " I have confidence in you as a Christian 
society, and such confidence that if you forgive an offence 
in one of your members, I shall approve the act, and 
shall also be ready to forgive."* There was no induU 
gence here ; the incestuous sinner was not required to 
make satisfaction for the balance of the temporal punish- 
ment which was due. No ! he was forgiven ; he had no- 
thing to pa?/; he was pardoned freely. Now, when a man 
gets an indulgence, be the price great or little, he must pay 
for it. The church of Rome is very sparing in her gifts^ 
and as to forgiving a debt, she knows nothing of that ; she 
must have satisfaction ! She does not believe that God will 
accept the atonement offered by the blood of the Saviour, 
unless she can add something to the efficacy of that precious 
blood by means of her penance. But let us remember, " By 
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." 

Having examined the evidence adduced by Pope Pius in sup- 
port of the doctrine of indulgences, I shall briefly show from 
Scripture, that indulgences are no part of the counsel of God. 
The whole gospel scheme of salvation, in all its parts, stands 
directly opposed to this Romish invention. If I were to 
attempt to quote all the Scripture evidence that might be 
adduced against the doctrine of indulgences, I should be 
obliged to read to you a very large portion of the Bible; 
from Genesis to Revelation, there is scarcely a page which 
does not directly or indirectly contradict and refute the grand 
doctrine of which indulgences is a branch, and which is 
emphatically the leaven of popery, the leaven which has lea- 

* Barnes in loco. 



INDULGENCES. 215 

vened the whole lump, and the effects of which may be dis- 
cerned in every part of the system, the doctrine of "justifi- 
cation by works." The church of Rome teaches that good 
works merit salvation, and are the efficient cause of it. The 
Protestant church holds universally the doctrine of justifica- 
tion by faith, not historical faith, nor any other kind of faith ; 
but that living faith which works by love, and produces fruit 
unto holiness. As the fruit never produces the tree, so works 
never make the man good. The tree must first be produced, 
and then the fruit follows ; and a man being first made good, 
good works follow, not to make him good, but to testify that 
he is good. The doctrine of justification by works is the 
root of this poisonous Upas which has thrown a desolating 
blight over so large and so fair a portion of the garden of 
the Lord, and has destroyed tens of thousands of precious 
souls who have eaten of its deadly fruit, and reposed under 
its shade. It is a tenet which changes the whole gospel 
plan, and presents another gospel from that delivered by the 
Lord Jesus Christ ; and consequently entails the curse which 
Paul so emphatically pronounces.* The church of Rome 
teaches as follows : 

" The council further teaches that such is the abundance 
of the divine bounty, that we are able to make satisfaction 
to God the Father through Jesus Christ, not only by punish- 
ments voluntarily endured by us as chastisements for sin, 
or imposed at the pleasure of the priest according to the de- 
gree of the offence ; but also, and this is an amazing proof of 
love, by temporal pains inflicted by God himself, and by us 
patiently borne."f 

That this is not a doctrine of the Bible will appear from 
the following propositions. 

1. The word of God uniformly concludes all, even the 

* Gal. i. 8, 9. f Con. Trid. Sess. xiv. Cap. 9. 



216 INDULGENCES. 

best of merij under sin. *' If we say, We have no sin, we 
deceive ourselves, and the trutli is not in us."* "All have 
sinned, and come short of the glory of God."t " All we, 
like sheep, have gone astray, we have turned every one 
to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on hinn the iniquity 
of us a?/. "J dz;c. Now, where there is sin, there is a stain 
upon every action, and there is an end of merit, 

2. The Bible teaches that we are dead in trespasses and 
sin, "You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses 
and sins." And again, " When we were dead in sins, 
God hath quickened us together with Christ; by grace ye 
are saved. "§ " You, being dead in your sins, and the un- 
circumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with 
him, having forgiven you all trespasses."|| 

Our will is opposed to holiness, till God makes us willing, 
by his Spirit, in the day of his power. Now, where a man's 
own will is wanting, until it be changed by God, his works 
cannot merit any thing of themselves. 

3. It teaches that all our goodness is the fruit of God^s 
grace. " By the grace of God I am that I am."** We 
are told repeatedly, that it is on account of God's goodness, 
and kindness, and good-will, that we are converted. " The 
kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 
not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but ac- 
cording to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of rege- 
neration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."")"! Hear an 
Old Testament saint. " Both riches and honour come of 
thee, and thou reignest over all ; and in thine hand is power 
and might ; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to 
give strength unto all. But who am I, and what is my peo- 
ple, that we should be able to oflier so willingly after this 

* 1 John i. 8. f Rom. iii. 23. t Is. liii. 6. 

§ Eph. ii. 1, 5. B Col. ii. 13. ** 1 Cor. xv. 10. 

ft Tit. iii. 4. 



INDULGENCES. 217 

thfs sort ? For all things are come of thee, and of thine own 
have we given thee. O Lord our God, all this store that 
we have prepared, to build thee an house for thine holy 
name, cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own."* 

My brethren, before a work can merit any thing, it must 
be strictly and entirely our own ; but Paul asks, " What 
hast thou that thou hast not received? or who maketh thee 
to differ from another? Now, if thou didst receive it, why 
dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"f " It is 
God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good 
pleasure.":]: Surely then, there is no room for merit. 

4. It teaches that, even in a state of grace, our obedi- 
ence is imperfect. " There is not a just man upon earth 
that doeth good, and sinneth not."§ To this truth every 
Christian's own experience and conscience will bear testi- 
mony. God requires not only external obedience, but an 
obedient state of mind, which shall render universal homage 
to his will: All the commandments in general, and every 
commandment in particular, and every jot and tittle of each 
precept in God's word, must be fulfilled, at all times, and 
without the least omission, or there can be no merit. Now, 
our obedience, at best, is imperfect. Our best endeavours 
have something in them that needs forgiving. Our holiest 
actions must be sprinkled with atoning blood ; and our very 
tears need washing. Merit requires, and presupposes per- 
fection, and admits not imperfection ; for " Cursed is every 
one that confirmeth not all the words of this law, to do 
them. "11 So long as you confess yourself a sinner, you 
merit nothing but wrath and fiery indignation. 

5. The Bible teaches expressly., that for this reason, 
good works are for ever excluded from meriting salvation, 

* 1 Chron. xxix. 12, 14, 16. f 1 Cor. iv. 7. 

t Phil. ii. 13. § Eccl. vii. 20. 1 Deut. xxvii. 26. 

19 



g|Q INDULGENCES. 

" For, by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not oC 
yourselves : it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any 
man should boast."* " If Abraham were justified by works, 
he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For, what 
saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was 
counted unto him for righteousness."f 

Surely these testimonies are directly to the point. We 
are justified by faith. Good works are the fruit of this 
faith, and always accompany it ; but they are not the ground 
of our justification before God. If any man has ever igno- 
rantly taught that the Protestant church denies the necessity 
of good works, may God forgive him ; but, if the misre- 
presentation is wilful, may the Lord lead him to repentance, 
lest he meet the doom of those who speak lies in hypocrisy! 
6. This, then, being the case, that works are excluded 
from being the meritorious cause of salvation, the Bible 
shows that the plan of salvation, as devised by God, was 
to give his Son as a propitiation for the sins of the world. 
Jesus Christ then, was made under the law, to redeem us 
from it.:j: He was made a curse for us, to redeem us 
from the curse.§ " He was wounded for our transgres- 
sions, and bruised for our iniquities; and by his stripes we 
are healed. "ll He bare our sins in his own body on the tree.** 
He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righte- 
ousness of God in him, and live to righteousness. Thus 
he is become our wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifi- 
cation, and redemption. ff " There is now, therefore, no 
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk 
not after the flesh, but after the spirit.''^ Christ is the Rock 
of our salvation. Our own righteousness, our so called 



♦ Eph. ii. 8; 9. f Rom. iv. 2. ^ Gal. iv. 4, 5. 

§ Gal. iii. 13. i Is. liii. 5. ** 1 Pet. ii.24, 

tt 1 Cor. i. 30. ^ Rom. viii. 1. 



INDULGENCES. 219 

good works, our alms, and fasting, and prayers, and pe- 
nance, merit nothing. The attempt to purchase the favour 
of God with money, or with self-imposed austerities, is an 
insult to Christ. Salvation must be accepted as a free gift, 
if it is accepted at all ; Christ is our salvation. 

The word of God, therefore, makes man's blessedness to 
consist, not in his own merits, but in the Lord's not imput-. 
ing sin to him. " Blessed is he whose transgression is for-? 
given, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom 
the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is 
no guile."* 

Now, iC forgiveness be the source of blessedness, there 
is an end of merit ; for where there is merit, salvation ceases 
to be a gift, there is no room for forgiveness, because God 
owes us all the joys of heaven, if we have merited them ; 
and if so, the whole gospel scheme is inverted ; and instead 
of reading, " by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that 
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest 
any man should boast," we ought to find the very opposite 
in the Bible. " By works are ye saved, not through faith, 
and that entirely of yourselves ; it is a debt due from God, not 
of grace, lest all ground of boasting should be taken away." 

But look again at the lively oracles of God ; and do you 
not find there, that every benefit which the Lord ever has 
conferred upon his people, or which he ever purposes to 
confer, has been, and always will be regarded by him, as 
mercy, free and undeserved mercy ? Did Israel merit Ca- 
naan 1 Did their sufferings in the wilderness merit the in- 
heritance of the land of promise ? Hear the word of the 
Lord. " Understand, therefore, that the Lord thy God giv- 
eth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteouS' 
ne5«."t 

♦ Ps. xxxii. 1, 2, • I Deut. ix. 6. 



220 INDULGENCES. 

Now if Canaan, which was the type of heaven, could not 
be merited, either in whole or in part, much less can heaven 
be purchased by our good works. If Israel could not buy 
the shadow, we cannot buy the substance; and, besides all 
this, Paul tells us, that heaven is the gift of God. Can you 
huy a gift ? 

But you are, perhaps, still unwilling to relinquish depen- 
dence upon your own works and sufferings; let the same 
apostle convict you of your error. " 1 reckon that the suf- 
ferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory that shall be revealed in us." If persecution 
and martyrdom cannot merit the glory of heaven, can 
prayers, and alms, and fasting, or the whole category of 
good works, included under penance, merit the inheritance 
of the saints? My brethren, what low, unworthy ideas of 
heaven you must have, if you imagine that you can pay an 
equivalent for it. Is your heaven worth no more than your 
alms, and prayers, and penances 1 If it is, there is very 
little attraction about it for me. But when I remember that 
the Christian's heaven is the purchase of Christ's blood ; and 
when I try to estimate the value of that precious blood, and 
find that all created excellence combined; all that eye has 
seen, or ear heard, or imagination conceived of things love- 
ly, and great, and glorious, falls infinitely below the value 
of one drop of the precious blood of the Lamb of God ; when 
the glorious truth comes home to my heart, and burns upon 
my soul, "Heaven is the purchase of his blood," — then 
I know, heaven must be a glorious abode ; and, let me but 
be a door-keeper of that upper sanctuary, and sit upon its 
threshold ; or, as a dying Christian once said to me, " let me 
but sweep the dust from the corners of that house not made 
with hands," and I am content. I would ten thousand times 
rather stand upon that threshold, than wear the Pope's triple 
crown, or sit upon the golden throne of the Man of Sin* 



INDULGENCES. 221 

And when I die, and my spirit takes its flight to the judg- 
ment seat, let me " be found not having; mine own righte- 
ousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the 
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God, by faith." 
Others may boast of their good works, and tell the Judge of 
their prayers, and fastings, and alms, and penances, and suf- 
ferings ; I had rather plead the merit of a drop of my Sa- 
viour's blood, than have all the merits of all God's saints 
and martyrs imputed to me in that hour. 

But, some of you may still be loth to relinquish depen- 
dence upon their own works ; then let God's word speak to 
you again. And what is its uniform and unbroken testi- 
mony ? Listen to your Saviour. "Doth the master thank 
his servant because he did the things that were commanded 
him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have 
done all those things which are commanded you, say, we 
are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our 
duty to do." U we had never failed in a single instance 
to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and 
stren2th, we should have merited no more than the man 
who owes you a hundred dollars, and pays the debt. If 
you do all the things that God has commanded you to do, 
you pay your debt and no more. Where is the saint in the 
Roman Catholic calendar, of whom it can be said, with truth, 
that he never sinned in any matter, either in thought, word or 
deed? All that the holiest saint ever did was no more than his 
duty. What becomes, then, of your works of supererogation ? 
What becomes of those treasures of merit, locked up in the 
Pope's strong box at Rome, the key of which has been 
handed down from Pope to Pope ? What becomes of the 
Pope's authority to dispense indulgences from ibis treasury 
of merit, filled with the virtue of those good works which 
were over and above the amount necessary for the salvation 
of the saints? Where is their authority to bequeath their 

19* 



222 INDULGENCES. 

redundant righteousness to holy church, that she nnight com 
this bullion into money? Oh! the dismay that will over- 
whelm the souls of the deluded ; and the anguish and despair 
that will confound the deceivers of souls, when their empti- 
ness shall be exposed. Methinks I hear them wail, and cry 
out, in the secret places of the pit, "Alas ! alas ! all our righ- 
teousnesses are as filthy rags." 

1 have dwelt thus at length upon the Scripture argument 
against the popish doctrine of merit, because this is the root 
of the difference between the Protestant church and the 
Romish apostacy. " Justification by faith" is the great lead- 
ing doctrine of the Bible, and of the ever-blessed Reforma- 
tion. You may pass through all the different ranks of Pro- 
testantism, and you will find that "justification by faith in 
the blood of Jesus," is inscribed on every banner. Faith 
will be written on every standard that the Spirit of the Lord 
lifts up, and everywhere, throughout Protestant Christendom, 
you will see the sacramental host clad in the whole armour 
of God, and above all taking to them the shield of Faith! 
This is our sheet-anchor. The soul that drops this anchor 
upon the Rock of Ages, may smile at the storms of hell ; 
never, never shall her vessel be torn from its moorings. 
" We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, both sure and 
steadfast !" 

The subject of indulgences is one of peculiar interest to 
Protestants, because the monstrous abuses connected with 
their sale, proved, under Providence, the means of opening 
the eyes of thousands to the real character of popery, and 
gave the first impulse to the Reformation. I had intended 
this evening to present before you a sketch of the rise and 
progress of this great and glorious work ; but I shall be 
obliged to postpone it for the present, and make it the sub- 
ject of my next lecture. I shall, therefore, conclude by 
mentioning a few circumstances connected with the sale of 



INDULGENCES. 223 

indulgences, which are carefully concealed in the Grounds 
of Cath. Doct. 

Even if there were nothing more gross in the practice of 
the Romish church than is admitted in this little book, I 
think I have already shown that the whole counsel of God 
is against it! But, my hearers, bad as this is, it is excel- 
lent, compared with the worst fe^atures of this Babylonish 
abomination. I am willing to let the church of Rome en- 
joy the full benefit of the disclaimer which is put forth at 
the commencement of the chapter on indulgences in the 
Grounds of Cath. Doct. A guilty conscience needs no ac- 
cuser. She tells us in the first breath she does not mean, 
by indulgences, license to commit sin, or pardon for sins to 
come. One thing, however, is certain ; she used to mean it, 
and she used to sell license to commit sin, and pardon for 
sins to come ; and she boasts that she is " always and every 
where the same." There is a certain book extant, called 
" The Tax-book of the Apostolic Chancery," in which the 
price of absolution froin certain sins is stipulated. However, 
as holy church, at least in the United States, is ashamed of 
these abuses, we will not lay this sin to her charge in so far 
as our own country is concerned ; and in return for this 
charity. Holy Mother must give us all the credit we deserve 
for doubting her infallibility ! 

I will read the testimony of an eye-witness, who describes 
what he saw at Rome. 

" I was surprised to find scarcely a church in Rome that 
did not hold up at the door the tempting inscription of ' In- 
dulgenzia Plenaria ;' ' Plenary Indulgence.' Two hundred 
days indulgence I thought a great reward for every kiss be- 
stowed upon the great black cross in the Colosseum ; but 
that is nothing to the indulgences for ten, twenty, and even 
thirty thousand years that may be bought at no exorbitant 
rate in many of the churches ; so that it is amazing what a 
vast quantity of treasure may be amassed in the other world 



224 INDULGENCES. 

with very little industry in this, by those who are avaricious 
of this spiritual wealth; into which, indeed, the dross or 
riches of this world may be converted with the happiest 
facility imaginable." 

" You may buy as many masses as will free your souls 
from purgatory for twenty-nine thousand years, at the church 
of St. John Lateran, on the festa of that saint; at Santa Bi- 
biana, on All Souls' day, for seven thousand years; at a 
church near the Basilica of St. Paul, and at another on the 
Quirinal Hill, for ten thousand and for three thousand years, 
and at a very reasonable rate. But it is vain to particular- 
ize, for the greater part of the principal churches in Rome 
and the neighbourhood, are spiritual shops for the sale of 
the same commodity."* 

The immense profits accruing from indulgences induced 
the appointment of the centenary jubilee, which was first 
celebrated in 1300, under the pontificate of Boniface 8th. 
It was subsequently shortened one-half, doubtless because the 
invention was profitable, and was at last reduced to twenty- 
five years, at every return of which period, plenary indul- 
gences may be obtained during one year by all the faithful 
who shall visit certain churches at Rome, and perform the 
religious exercises enjoined for the occasion. The last jubi- 
lee was in 1825. 

That the tendency and practical influence of the sale of 
indulgences is demoralizing, no honest man can deny. The 
notoriously depraved state of morals in Italy may safely be 
ascribed to the facility of absolution, and to the easy pur- 
chase of indulgences. A modern traveller says : " At Tivoli, 
a man was pointed out to us who had stabbed his brother, 
who died in agonies within an hour. The murderer went to 
Rome, purchased his pardon from the church, and received 

* Rome in t!)e Nineteenth Century, II, p. 267 — 270. See 
Cramp's Text Book of Popery, p. 342. 



INDULGENCES. 225 

a written protection from a cardinal, in consequence of 
which, he was walking about unconcernedly, a second Cain, 
whose life was sacred." 

And again : " Those that have interest with the Pope, may 
obtain an absolution in full from his holiness for all the sins 
they ever have committed, or may choose to commit. I 
have seen one of these edifying documents issued by the pre- 
sent Pope to a friend of mine. It was most unequivocally 
worded."* 

Now, beloved friends, let me bring you back once more 
to the Bible. VA^hat use has a Christian for indulgences, or 
for merit ! The temporal consequences of our sins we must 
bear; no indulgence can deliver us from them. An indul- 
gence from the Pope will not expel the rottenness from the 
bones of the debauchee, though he may have repented and 
thrown himself over upon the mercy of his Saviour. And 
what do you want with merit ? Would you merit the par- 
don of your sin ? But " the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth 
us from all sin." Would you merit the favour of God? 
But where is the need of your merit? "If when we were 
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his 
Son ; much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his 
life." (Rom. v. 10.) Would you merit everlasting life, 
and heaven itself? But where is the use of your merit? 
Christ has obtained for us the full assurance of heaven. It 
is ours by purchase. "By his own blood he has obtained 
redemption for us." It is ours by donation. " My sheep 
hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me, and I 
give unto them eternal life." It is ours by inheritance, 
" If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs 
according to the promise." But in reply to all that has been 
said, the Roman Catholic may tell rne, " I do not depend 
entirely, but only partially upon my own merits. The 

* See Cramp's Text Book of Popery, p. 345^ 



226 INDULGENCES. 

Council of Trent expressly leaches that we are able to make 
satisfaction to God the Father through Christ Jesus, and not 
through ourselves alone." 

Now does not this imply that the satisfaction which the 
Lord Jesus Christ has made for all who believe in him, and 
exercise repentance towards God, would be incomplete with- 
out the superadded merits of our own works? And is not 
this plainly contradicted by every page of the New Testa- 
ment Scriptures? The satisfaction which Christ has made 
for us, is either complete and all-sufficient in itself, or it is 
not. If the former, where is the use, in so far as justifica- 
tion is concerned, of owr making satisfaction either in whole 
or in part? If the latter, then the Bible is not true; for it 
everywhere proclaims the sufficiency of the atonement made 
on Calvary. 

Neither the faith of those who believe, nor the godly sor- 
row of those who repent, is the meritorious cause of their 
justification ; and any man who pleads either as the ground 
of his acceptance at the judgment bar, will be spurned from 
the presence of the thrice holy God. 

In God's name, then, renounce all dependence on your 
own merit! I do not tell you to renounce good works, but 
to relinquish your dependence on them. "By the deeds 
of the law shall no flesh be justified." If you go about 
to establish a righteousness of your own, you must perish. 
I know that you have no peace. I appeal to your own con- 
science, and to your own experience for the truth of this 
assertion. It is impossible that any who seek to justify 
themselves by their own deeds should be at peace either 
with God, or with themselves. " Being justified by faith, 
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

May God impart to you all this faith through grace; and 
then " the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, 
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 
Amen. 



LECTURE VIII. 



THE REFORMATION. 
Ps. cxviii. 23. 

" THIS IS THE LORD*S DOING ; IT IS MARVELLOUS IN OUR EYES." 

Among all the remarkable events which are recorded in 
the annals of history, whether sacred or profane, there is 
none, since the birth and death of the blessed Saviour, which 
constitutes a more important epoch than the great moral re- 
volution which occurred in the sixteenth century ; and which 
is familiarly known as the Reformation. It was so mani- 
festly a reformation, that it has, by common consent, re- 
ceived and retained the name ; and it always will keep its 
designation, until enlightened Christians can be persuaded to 
love darkness rather than light. Ever since the day, when 
Martin Luther, with the Bible in his hand, stood forth as the 
fearless advocate of the eternal truths of God's word ; since 
he preached the gospel and wrote in its defence, and gave 
the Scriptures to his countrymen in their vernacular tongue, 
a wound has been inflicted upon Popery, which the experi- 
ence of more than three hundred years has proved to be 
incurable; and which we know, from the sure word of pro- 
phecy, is destined to prove the plague of ignorance, and 
idolatry, and superstition, until they all shall come to a per- 
petual end. Since that day, the church of Rome, with so- 



228 '^^^ REFORMATION. 

vereign Impudence, has attempted to face down the Protest- 
ant cause, by telling us that we are schismatics. 

We may detail the usurpations, and tyranny, and corrup- 
tions of the Romish church ; and, as no man, unless he is 
either fearfully depraved, or lamentably ignorant, or deluded, 
can deny that these abuses really existed, and still exist, we 
are uniformly told, in reply, that these grievances give us 
no right to renounce the papal authority, and set up for our- 
selves ; but that we are accursed heretics, for persisting in 
our separation. 

The Council of Trent, which convened A. D. 1545, about 
thirty years after the commencement of the Reformation, 
seems to have been so full of cursings, that after a formal 
condemnation of the heresiarchs Luther, Calvin, and Zuin- 
gle, &c. &:c., a fearful array of anathemas is thrown around 
every statement of their own doctrines, presenting daggers' 
points to the faithful, who are inside of the pale of the true 
church, as well as to the incorrigible heretics, who are out- 
side. Notwithstanding these curses, Protestants persist in 
maintaining, that when a church has become so fearfully 
degenerate as to earn the title of The Mother of the Abomi- 
nations of the Earth, it is hio;h time to listen to the voice of 
the Eternal God, calling through the gospel, " Come out of 
her, my people, and be not partakers of her sins, lest ye 
receive also of her plagues." 

Now, my brethren, the charge of schism is a very griev- 
ous one. The apostle bids us, " mark them which cause di- 
visions ;" and the Saviour says, " Wo to that man by whom 
the ofTcnce cometh." But I think it is very easy to retort 
the charge of schism upon the Romish apostacy ; and not 
only to lay this sin to the charge of Holy Mother, but to 
prove that she is guilty of it. If we are heretics, in de- 
parting from the communion of the Romish church, then 
Abraham and Abraham.'s seed were heretics too. When 



THE REFORMATION. 229 

the God of glory appeared to Abraham, and convinced him 
that idolatry was a hateful sin, and called him out, and bade 
him " be separate," the father of the faithful obeyed, and 
went out in the strength of simple hearted trust in the Lord 
Jehovah. Abraham surely was not guilty of schism, be- 
cause he turned his back upon the idolatrous nation; and 
when the Spirit of the Lord, in the sixteenth century, lifted 
up a standard against the enemy, who came pouring in like 
a flood, and raised up men who were willing to go with the 
Lord Jesus to prison and to death, and these men were in- 
strumental in opening the eyes of their fellow-sinners, was 
there heresy in this? No! my brethren, "they walked in 
the steps of the faith of our father Abraham ;" they left the 
idolatrous people, flung their images to the moles and to the 
bats; scattered to the winds the whole system of Popish ab- 
surdities, and made this unseemly rent in the scarlet robe of 
Holy Mother, which all the ingenuity and cunning inventions 
of Popes and Jesuits have never yet been able to mend. 

There is a question which is often put by our Roman Ca- 
tholic brethren, and which they think unanswerable, though 
it has been answered a thousand times. They say to us, 
sometimes, " Do tell us, pray, what is the Prolestant reli- 
gion?" "It is the religion of the Bible." " Ah, but that 
is telling us where it is, and not what it is." But if I tell 
you where my religion is, if you have eyes, and can read, 
and have a mind of your own, you can soon find out what 
my religion is. Read the Bible, and your inquiry will be 
satisfied. The Saviour directed the Jews to their Scriptures, 
and bade his enemies " search them ;" we offer you the 
Bible, and invite you to read it. There you will find the 
grounds of Prolestant doctrine. "Well, but where was 
your religion before Luther?" "Just where it is now, and 
where it always will be; here, in the Bible; and that is 
20 



230 THE REFORMATION. 

where the Roman Catholic religion is not, never has been, 
and never will be." 

Papists are mistaken when they tell us that their religion 
is older than the Protestant faith. It is old, I admit, but it 
is not so old as ours by several centuries. Our religion was 
not called the Protestant faith in the apostle's days, because 
there were no Popish errors to protest against. We may 
retort the question, and ask our Roman Catholic brother, 
"Where was your religion when the Bible was written?" 
and echo will answer, " Where?" 

After brushing away these cobwebs, I will proceed to the 
subject before us. 

I. I will prove that the Reformation teas needed. 
II. That the Glorious Reformation was the Lord's doing, 

I. The first point will very soon be dismissed. Even 
Roman Catholics themselves must admit that gross abuses, 
and appalling licentiousness, were prevalent in their church, 
during and preceding the period of the Reformation. Lest, 
however, any, through ignorance or prejudice, should be 
disposed to dispute it, I will state facts, and give testimony 
which all our adversaries cannot gainsay, because the truth 
is so interwoven in the whole history of this eventful period, 
that it is impossible to conceal it. 

Several years after the first blow had been struck by 
Luther, Pope Adrian VI. himself presented a brief to the 
Diet of Nuremberg, through his nuncio, in which he makes 
acknowledgments, which are alone suflicient to justify the 
most acrimonious accusations of Luther. He owns explicitly 
that all the confusion introduced by Lutheranism, was the 
effect of men's sins, particularly of the sins of the priests 
and bishops ; that for some years past many abominations 
and excesses had been committed in the court of Rome, even 



THE REFORMATION. 231 

in the Holy See itself, and ttiat it was no wonder if the evil 
had passed from the head to the members, — from the Pope 
to the bishops and priests. But let us give you his own 
words. 

" We have all," says the Pope, " turned every one of us 
to his own way, and for a long time none hath done good, 
no not one. Let us give glory to God, and humble our 
souls before him ; and every individual among us consider 
how great has been his own fall, and judge himself, that 
God may not judge us in his wrath. Nothing shall be 
wanting on my part to reform the court of Rome, whence, 
perhaps, all the mischief has originated ; that as this court 
has been the source of the corruptions which have thence 
spread among the lower orders, so from the same a sound 
reformation may proceed." 

His holiness concludes with observing how much he had 
this business at heart ; but that they must not wonder if all 
these abuses could not be soon corrected. The disease was 
complicated and inveterate, and the cure must proceed step 
by step, lest by attempting to do all at once, every thing 
should be thrown into confusion.* 

Luther translated the Pope's letter into German, and 
added short marginal notes, one of which on the expression, 
" the cure must proceed step by step," reads thus, " you are 
to understand these words to mean that there must be an 
interval of some centuries between each step." 

Here, then, we have the admission of an infallible Pope 
himself, that a reformation was needed, that gross corrup- 
tions were rampant in the church. What a glorious com- 
ment on Romish infallibility is presented by this historical 
fact. The head of the infallible church confesses that the 

* Luther and the Lutheran Reformation by John Scott. New 
York: J. & J. Harper, 1833. Vol. L p. 180. 



232 '^^^ REFORMATION. 

grossest abuses are practised in her midst, and that Popes 
and prelates and priests are turned every one to his own 
way. This is as if a man, who was, from *' the crown of 
his head to the sole of his foot, filled with wounds and 
bruises and putrifying sores," should declare, that notwith- 
standing all this disease, there was not a spot or a wrinkle 
upon his immaculate body ! 

Pope Adrian's testimony may suffice. I like it the bet- 
ter, because lie cannot be accused of too much partiality for 
Luther and his coadjutors, especially when it is remembered 
that he conjured the Council at Nuremberg to " extinguish 
this devouring flame," and very significantly alluded to the 
examples of John Huss and Jerome of Prague, who were 
burnt at the stake for their opposition to popish error and 
superstition. 

As to the abuses themselves, I cannot go very much into 
detail respecting them. One abomination, however, cannot 
be omitted, as the excess to which it was carried, proved, 
under God, the means of opening the eyes of an obscure 
Augustine monk, once scarcely known beyond the limits of 
Wittemberg, but who will be held in everlasting remem- 
brance as a Christian man of undaunted courage, stern in- 
tegrity, and strong faith. I need scarcely say, I mean Mar- 
tin Luther. We all know that Luther has been represented 
by some papists as a monster of iniquity. That he had his 
failings, I admit ; he would have been more than man if he 
had had none. It is not my intention to enter at present 
into a minute refutation of the slanders that have been 
heaped upon him ; indeed it is unnecessary, since the elabo- 
rate testimonies which Maimbourg, Varillas, and Moreri, 
three Roman Catholic historians, have borne to the talents, 
learning, great qualities, and blameless morals of the Re- 
former.* No papist, respectable for learning and honesty^ 

* See Milner*s Ch. Hist, vol. iv,33r— ^45^ 



THE REFORMATION. 233 

would repeat the silly calumnies and idle stories respecting 
Luther, of which intelligent Roman Catholics have long 
since been ashamed. 

It may, perhaps, not be amiss to advert to one of the 
many ridiculous stories respecting Luther's death and fune- 
ral, which were industriously circulated among the faithful, 
after the Lord had taken him home. The following authen- 
tic narrative has been preserved in an admirable German 
work, published in Stuttgart, 1839, entitled, " Luther's 
Leben und Wirken." 

" When the corpse of Luther was carried to the grave by 
twelve strong men, the bier at first was so heavy, that they 
could not proceed with it; afterwards it became so light, that 
they set it down in the market-place, in order to examine 
whether the body was still in it or not. They found no 
Tnan there, but three enormous rats, which jumped out upon 
the'people, and squealing dreadfully, ran through the crowd 
and escaped. One of these rats ran to all the convents and 
monasteries, and bit the iron bolts and locks in pieces. 
Another ran to Rome and bit the seals off the Pope's bulls 
of indulgence; the third ran into hell and extinguished the 
fire of purgatory, so that it can never burn another Chris- 
tian soul." The manner in which this latter exploit was 
performed, decency will not permit me to describe.* 

This nonsense is about on a par with the silly tale of 
Luther's conference with the devil respecting the Eucharist.f 

On the whole, however, I am not disposed altogether to 
deny that the devil may have had some hand in originating 
Luther's notion of consubstnntiation ; it savours so much of 
transubslantiation, the chef d'oeuvre of the Evil one, that it 
would be hard to disprove the devil's agency in its invention 

* See Luther's Leben und Wirken, von Dr. C. F. G. Stangi, 
Stuttgart, 1839, p, 1004. 
f See the Catholic's Manual, p. 68. New York, 1836, 

20* 



234 I'HE REPORMATIOIV. 

It is due, in common justice, to the very respectable soci- 
ety of Lutherans to state, that but a very small proportion 
of their number adhere to the doctrine of consubslantiation. 
I believe the large majority of the Lutheran denomination 
agree substantially with their Reformed brethren in the doc- 
trine of the Eucharist. Luther was a whole souled man; he 
belonged to the excellent of the earth, and his memory is 
blessed ; but whilst we give God glory for raising up such a 
man, and sustaining him through so many trials, and bring- 
ing him ofTmore than conqueror, we are painfully reminded 
that he was but a man after all. The pertinacity with which 
he adhered to his favourite notion of consubstantiation, 
shows how hard it is even for the best of men to shake off 
the trammels of early prejudice and superstition. Luther's 
idea was briefly this : " He denied that the elements were 
changed after consecration, and therefore taught that the 
bread and wine indeed remain ; but that together with them, 
there is present the substance of the body of Christ, which 
is literally received by communicants." See Encyclop. of 
Relig. Knowl., p. 411. (Art. " Consubstantiation.")* 

No reformer had ever to contend with greater obstacles, 
and yet it may be said, in another sense, that there never 
was a more favourable opportunity for the commencement 
of reform. Leo X., after a term of five years, had reduced 
himself to great straits by his prodigality, and in order to 

* The reader, who wishes to know more of the private charac- 
ter of the great Luther, may consult, in addition to former refe- 
rences, Robertson's Charles V. p. 329, 330. Harpers, New York, 
1858: Scott's Luther and the Lutheran Reformation, vol. ii. 189 
. — 203, in which Robeilson's sketch is reviewed: Jones' Church 
Hist. p. 441, Phil. 1832. But after all, the best way of obtaining 
a correct estimate of Luther's character is to read his history and 
his writings. None but a bigot can read either, without beingf 
convinced tliat Luther was a holy man. 



THE REFORMATION. 



235 



replenish his empty cofTers, had recourse, after the example 
of his predecessor, Julius II., to the sale of indulgences. 
The specific object to which the money was to be appropri- 
ated, was the completion of St. Peter's church at Rome, and 
for this piirpose Leo published indulgences throughout the 
Christian world, granting freely to ail who would pay money 
for the building of this church, the license of eating eggs and 
cheese in the time of Lent ; this fact is gravely related by 
papal historians. Albert, the archbishop of Mentz and Mag- 
deburg was authorized to superintend the promulgation of 
the papal indulgences, with the understanding that he was 
to receive his share of the profits. He delegated his autho- 
rity to John Tetzel, a Dominican inquisitor, who had proved 
his qualifications for the business ten years before, by col- 
lecting at Friburg 2000 florins ir) two days by the sale of 
indulgences. The matchless impudence of this frontless 
monk is almost incredible. He taught the people, that the 
moment they paid for the indulgence, they became certain 
of their salvation ; and that the souls for whom the par- 
dons were bought, were instantly released from purgatory. 
"The moment," said he, "the money tinkles in the chest, 
your friend's soul mounts up out of purgatory." This au- 
dacious pardon-monger boasted that he had saved more 
souls from hell by his indulgences than St. Peter had con- 
verted to Christianity by his preaching. Now, it is a fact 
which must be remembered, that not an archbishop, nor 
bishop, nor priest ever opened his mouth to condemn these 
enormities, until after opposition had been openly made to 
the iniquitous traffic in another quarter, although the infe- 
rior officers concerned in this shameful commerce were 
daily seen in public houses rioting in the most scandalous 
debauchery.* Whilst Tetzel, with undisguised eflTrontery, 

* Hume's Hist, of England, vol. i. p. 54. Philad. M'Carty & 
Davis, 1840. 



236 "TWE REFORMATION. 

was making traffic of the souls of men, and the church cor- 
rupted and debauched, was held up as the laughing stock of 
infidelity, the Lord was preparing deliverance. 

In the memorable year 1517, it happened that certain 
persons, repealing their confessions before Luther, after 
owning themselves to be atrocious offenders, refused to com- 
ply with the penances which he enjoined, and when interro- 
gated as to the reason, produced their diplomas of indulgence. 
Lulher, indignant at this licentious folly, refused to give them 
absolution, and they complained to Tetzel. The Dominican 
inquisitor frowned and stormed and menaced ; but all to no pur- 
pose. He went so far as several times to order a pile of wood 
to be set on fire in order to awe the heretics into submission 
by this significant hint. This measure was equally unsuccess- 
ful. Luther conscientiously persisted in opposing the traffic ; 
at first he merely intimated in a gentle manner from the 
pulpit, that people might be better employed than in running 
to Tetzel to procure indulgences. So cautiously did this 
great man begin the work, the result of which he then so 
little loresavv. Ten years before this time, he had accident- 
ally met with a Latin Bible in the library of the monastery. 
To his astonishment he found that there were ?nore Scrip- 
ture passages extant than those which were read to the 
people. He made the Scriptures and the books of Augus- 
tine his constant study, and when the controversy respecting 
indulgences commenced, he was regarded as the most inge- 
nious and learned man of his order in Germany. Martin 
Polichius, a doctor of law and medicine, had remarked con- 
cerning Luther several years before the commencement of 
the Reformation, after listening to one of his eloquent and 
fervid appeals, "This monk will confound all the doctors, 
and reform the whole Roman church ; for he is intent on 
reading the writings of the prophets and apostles, and he de- 
pends on the word of Jesus Christ ; this neither the philoso- 



THE REFORMATION. 



237 



phers nor the sophists can subvert." It will readily be con- 
ceived that a man mighty in the Scriptures, and who had 
already apprehended the great leading doctrine of the New 
Testament, justification by faith in the perfect merits of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, would be prepared to rebuke the mon- 
strous abuse of the sale of indulgences. His first step after 
preaching against the iniquitous traffic, was to appeal to the 
archbishop of Mentz ; he did not even know that the arch- 
bishop was the prime dispenser of these popish pardons. 
The archbishop gave him no satisfaction. Luther next ap- 
pealed to his own diocesan, the bishop of Brandenburg. 
The prelate reverenced his integrity, but cautioned him in 
these words, "You will oppose the church; you cannot 
think in what troubles you will involve yourself. You had 
better be quiet." This counsel Luther could not conscien- 
tiously accept, and with deliberate steadiness he persevered. 
Having in vain endeavoured to procure the concurrence of 
the dignitaries of the church, he published his Theses, ninety- 
five in number; which, in fifteen days, were spread through- 
out Germany. On the 31st of October, 1517, Luther nailed 
these Theses, which related principally to the sale of indul- 
gences, upon the church doors of VVittemberg, and from that 
hour we may date the commencement of the Reformation. 

Alarmed at the publication and rapid circulation of Lu- 
ther's Theses, and above all, at the favour with which good 
and true men regarded them, Tetzel published one hundred 
and six propositions, in which he attempted to refute the 
arguments of the Augustinian monk; and, moreover, by 
virtue of his authority as Dominican inquisitor, he ordered 
Luther's compositions to be burned. The disciples of the 
Reformer, without his advice or consent, retaliated by burn- 
ing Tetzel's propositions, and from that moment the Pope 
and Luther parted company. Such was the commencement 
of the great work, which has resulted in conferring civil and 



238 THE REFORMATION. 

religious liberty upon millions who would otherwise have 
groaned under papal bondage. " This is the Lord's doing, 
and it is marvellous in our eyes." Luther was the instru- 
ment, but not the agent of this Reformation. " It was the 
Lord^s doing." The Lord led his servant step by step far 
beyond his original intentions, and in a manner which 
showed the excellency of the power to be of God, and not 
of man. The peculiar excellency of the revival of the true 
religion lay in this, that it not only effected, to a large extent, 
the correction of abuses, but it brought forth from under the 
bushel of papal ignorance, bigotry, and superstition, the 
candle of God's word, and set it up as a beacon light upon 
every hill of Zion. This result was not efl'ected at once ; 
the light at first was but the feeble glimmering of the early 
dawn; but this true light was the harbinger of day ; the 
Sun of Righteousness was rising with healing in his wings, 
and his fervid beams soon shed a stream of light that is 
kindling brighter and brighter to the perfect day. 

II. That the Reformation of the church was the Lord's 
doing, will, I think, be apparent if we examine the difficul- 
ties which were in the way, the means which were employ- 
ed, and the complete success of the enterprise. 

1. In the first place, the whole papal power tras <.\rrayed 
against it. It is astonishing, when we look at the over- 
whelming influence which popery was exerting upon the 
whole of Europe, that an obscure Augustinian monk should 
have been able to shake the throne of the Roman pontiff*, 
and to break the right arm of his power. At first, Luther 
stood alone; but his intrepid and unflinching zeal ; his stern 
integrity, and the fact that his was evidently the cause of 
truth and righteousness, soon gained him the afl^ection and 
the hearty support of honest men, whose necks were weary 
of the galling yoke of popish despotism. The Pope lorded 
it over kings and emperors. His will was the sovereign 



The reformatio*^. <^^g 

rule. His frown made the stoutest potentate trennble. He 
could absolve subjects from allegiance to refractory rulers. 
He had often done it ; and had brought the haughtiest mo- 
narch to terms. When Luther arose, there was none among 
the rulers of the earth who could dare the Pope to do his 
worst. There was not a man in the high places of power 
who could venture to ask the Roman pontiff, " What doest 
thou?" But see how bold the truth can make its advocate. 
Single-handed, armed with no weapon but the Bible ; sus- 
tained, originally, by no influence at the courts of earthly 
kings, and relying solely upon the justice of his cause, 
and the help of God, the great Reformer proclaimed liberty 
to the captives, and the opening of the prison-doors to 
them that were bound, and bade defiance to the authority 
of Antichrist. Deluded millions cursed him for a heretic, 
and gnashed upon him with their teeth. Kings leagued to- 
gether ; archbishops and bishops, and all the hosts of Rome 
and hell conspired against him ; but every attack was re- 
pulsed ; every plot against his life was frustrated, and not a 
hair of this man's head was hurt, though the Pope and the 
devil thirsted for his blood. The cause with which he was 
identified gained ground daily and hourly. Kings became its 
nursing fathers, and queens its nursing mothers ; until, even- 
tually, the principles of the Reformation became so firmly 
established, that its enemies were constrained to give up 
their open assaults in despair. " This was the Lord's do- 
ing; it is miarvellous in our eyes." 

2. Again : The prejudices of men were arrayed against 
the Reformation. The men of that generation had been 
taught that submission to priestly mandates was the great 
cardinal virtue, which would atone for a multitude of sins, 
and save the soul from death. It was blasphemy, in those 
days, to say a word against the Pope. And, though the 
exactions of papal tyranny had ground the faces of the poor, 



240 'J'W^ REFORMATION. 

and laid burdens upon them, which neither they nor their 
fathers could bear, yet such was the force of habit, and the 
power of prejudice, that they never dared to think that the 
Pope might be a usurper. They had no Bibles. They knew 
nothing of the mind and will of God, as revealed in his 
word, except what they gathered from ignorant and vicious 
priests, whose interest it was to keep them in darkness. No 
wonder, then, that the Reformers were regarded by the poor 
priest-ridden people as wicked innovators, and sacrilegious 
wretches, who had spurned every limit of modesty and de- 
corum. They knew no belter. They did not know that it 
was as imperious a duty for every good man to forsake a 
corrupt church as it was for Lot to flee from Sodom. 

We see, in our own day, that bigotry and prejudice can 
blind the eyes even of intelligent and amiable men, and con- 
vert them into strenuous advocates of exploded and ridicu- 
lous doctrines and ceremonies. It is easy, then, to imagine 
that Luther and his coadjutors would experience tremendous 
opposition from the prejudices of the dark age in which he 
lived. But see how the word of the Lord ran and was glo- 
rified ! Hundreds daily flocked to the standard, which the 
Spirit of the Lord had lifted up. The everlasting gospel, 
stripped of the meretricious trappings of human invention, 
proved, everywhere, the power and wisdom of God unto 
salvation; and in spite of the opposition of bigotry; in de- 
fiance of the sword of the executioner, and the fire and fa- 
gots of bloody, persecuting agents of the Pope, the word of 
God grew mightily, and prevailed, so that in a Cew years' 
time, kings and bishops were brought into the obedience of 
the gospel of Christ, and whole nations were converted to 
the Protestant faith. Is not this proof enough that the con- 
sciences of men are on the side of the truth? Was this 
the work of man ? " This was the Lord's doing, and it is 
marvellous in our eyes," 



THE REFORMATION. QAl 

3. But what were the means employed in effecting this 
mighty moral revolution ? They were not carnal weapons. 
Protestants did not make proselytes through the eloquent ap- 
peals of the gibbet, and the stake, and the torturing imple- 
ments of the Holy Inquisition. The principles of the Pro- 
testant church are directly opposed to persecution in every 
shape. We contend for liberty of conscience. It is no 
part of our creed, that faith is not to be kept with heretics. 
No Protestant synod or council ever disgraced itself by pub- 
lishing such an edict to the world, or to the church ; but the 
Popish Council of Constance deliberately asserted it, and as 
deliberately put the principle into practical operation, by 
burning Jerome of Prague, notwithstanding the emperor Si- 
gismund had guarantied him a safe conduct. The only 
way in which Protestants can persecute the adversaries of 
God's truth, consistently with their principles, is by means 
of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We 
hold up the torch of truth, (not the blazing fagot of inquisi- 
torial tyranny,) over the doctrines and practices of errorists; 
and we show that Romanism and the Bible are sworn ene- 
mies. Now, if this be persecution, would to God that Pro- 
testants would persecute a great deal more than they do ; 
and that papists never had persecuted, and never would per- 
secute again, in any other way. 

I hope my hearers will not be alarmed when they hear 
that their humble speaker has been honoured with the title 
of a persecutor of the true church ; and, in almost, if not 
quite, the same breath, I am told, surprise has been express- 
ed, that any of Calvin's seed should have been suffered to 
remain so long upon the earth. Now, I confess, if I had 
said that it was a wonder that any Roman Catholic should 
be permitted to live in the United States, and worship God 
and the Virgin Mary, and the saints, and holy images, 
and holy relics, according to the dictates of his own con- 
21 



242 '^^^ REFORMATION. 

science, I should have betrayed something like a disposition 
to persecute. 

This reminds me of a passage in good John Bunyan's 
Pijorrim's Progress. When Christian comes to the mouth of 
Giant Pope's cave, he finds the old gentleman, by reason "of 
the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger 
days, grown so crazy and stiff in his joints, that he can 
now do little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at 
pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails because he can- 
not come at them. So I saw that Christian went on his 
way ; yet, at the sight of the old man that sat at the mouth 
of the cave, he could not tell what to think, 'specially be- 
cause he spoke to him, though he could not go after him, 
saying, ' You ivill never mend till more of you be hurntP 
But he held his peace, and set a good face on it, and so went 
by, and catched no hurt."* I mean to do as Christian did ; 
and hope, like him, to catch no hurt. 

Now, my brethren, I will trench upon no man's private 
rights ; but I will try, looking to God for the assistance of 
his grace, to convince my Roman Catholic brethren, that I 
do love them ; and that my heart's desire and prayer to God 
for them is, that they may be saved. 

On the great day of the Lord, when I shall meet you all at 
the judgment, I shall be ready to answer the charge of per- 
secuting the true church. 

But, to return. The weapons of the Reformers were not 
carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of 
strong holds. That several of the leading Reformers did 
in isolated instances, persecute their erring brethren, cannot 
be denied. Calvin connived at, if he did not procure, the 
burning of Servetus. Indeed, it >vas some time before the 

* Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Harpers, 1837. p. 135. 



THE REFORMATION. 243 

true Bible principle, relative to the treatment of heretics, was 
clearly brought out before the minds of the Reformers. 

[The following is Calvin's own language relative to this 
case : Speaking of certain false charges respecting his 
familiarity with the Pope's inquisitors, he says, " It is useless 
to spend words in refuting this calumny, which is broken to 
pieces, and falls by a simple denial. If indeed what they 
falsely object to me was a fact, I do not see why I should 
deny it ; since I do not dissemble, that it was by my means 
that he (Servetus) was seized in this city and required to 
defend his cause. Let malevolent and slanderous men ob- 
ject what they please, I offer myself beforehand, and freely 
confess (for according to the laws of this city, the man could 
not be justly treated otherwise,) that the accuser proceeded 
at my request ; that the formula was dictated by my advice, 
by which some entrance was made upon the cause. But 
what my design then was, is evident from the progress of 
the action. Wlicn my colleagues and myself were sum- 
moned, it was by no means our fault that he did not confer 
peaceably and freely concerning his dogmatisms. We in 
fact proceeded as in chains to give the reason of our faith, 
and informed him that we were prepared to answer his 
objections. It was then that, with swollen cheeks, he poured 
forth upon me such reproaches as made the judges them- 
selves ashamed and grieved for him. I avoided all railing 
at him. And had he been in any manner curable, he would 
have been in no danger of any weightier punishment," &c.]* 

This is not to be wondered at, for they were educated in 
the tenets of Romanism, which inculcate the destruction of 
heretics, whenever it may be conveniently consummated. f 
However, persecution never was a prominent feature of Pro- 

* See Life of Calvin, by Beza, p. 186. Philadelphia: Whet- 
ham, 1836. 

f Rhem. Test. p. 44. 



244 '^^^ REFORMATION. 

testant discipline, and it never will be. The means em- 
ployed by the Reformers were substantially the same which 
the Christian church still uses, viz. the preaching of the gos- 
pel and the circulation of the Scriptures. Luther's transla- 
tion of the Bible into German proved, under God, the nrjeans 
of salvation to thousands. Now look at the means which 
were instrumental in producing the glorious results that are 
destined to bless the world, by conferring civil and religious 
liberty upon the whole human race. What but the influ- 
ence of the blessed Spirit could have effected such triumphs 
as have already been accomplished? It is he who makes 
the foolishness of preaching prove the power and wisdom of 
God unto salvation ! " This is the Lord's doing ; it is mar- 
vellous in our eyes." 

4. And what are the results that have already been ob- 
tained? The emancipation of a large portion of Europe 
from civil and spiritual despotism, and the establishment of 
the true principles of political and religious liberty in both 
the old and new world. The Reformation is not ended yet ; 
but it is steadily and rapidly in progress ; it will not be fin- 
ished until the principles of civil and religious liberty shall 
have been everywhere established ; and until its ministers 
shall have gone forth proclaiming liberty and salvation to 
the heathen world, and bringing home the fulness of the 
Gentiles as an offering to the Saviour who redeemed them. 
That this is to be the great crowning result of the blessed 
Reformation, the sure word of prophecy declares. 

My brethren, yesterday we celebrated the anniversary of 
our national independence ;* and whilst we feel it good to ex- 
ult in our freedom as a great and happy people, let us not for- 
get that we owe this blessing, under God, to the Reformation. 

The pilgrim fathers who landed on the Plymouth Rock, 

* Preached Sunday evening, July 5th^ 



THE REFORMATION. g^g 

brought with them the doctrines and the principles of the 
German Reformers. They fled from the face of their per- 
secutors into tlie wilderness ; and here, upon this very soil, 
reared an altar to their God, and laid the corner-stone of 
the glorious fabric of our independence. The grain of mus- 
tard seed which they planted has become a mighty tree. 
God grant that its branches may ever be laden with plea- 
sant fruits ; that its leaves may be for the healing of the 
nations, and its shade continue to offer an asylum to the 
oppressed. 

If the liberty which is dear to every American is to be 
preserved ; if it is worth preserving, we must maintain our 
separation from the corruptions and abominations of popery. 
The great and good Lafayette, whose memory is deservedly 
honoured by this nation, in conversation with distinguished 
citizens of our Republic, has repeatedly said, "American 
liberty can be destroyed only by the popish clergy !" Pro- 
fessor Morse, in his preface to the Confessions of a Catholic 
Priest, writes as follows : " This declaration of Lafayette is 
a beautiful evidence of the sagacity and vigilance of Liberty's 
great friend. Lafayette, like a veteran mariner, was ever 
watching the political horizon for the indications of danger 
to his beloved America, and the danger to which his latest 
warnings pointed was this very covert political attack, which 
is in full operation upon our soil at this moment, an attack 
the more dangerous, because it shields itself under the mask 
of religion, and cries out persecution at every attempt to ex- 
pose its true, its political character." Professor Morse adds 
in a note, " It may not be amiss here to state, that this 
declaration was repeated by him to more than one American. 
The very last interview I had with him on the morning of 
my departure from Paris, full of his usual concern for 
America, he made use of the same warning ; and in a letter 
which I received from him but a few days after at Havre, 

21* 



246 THE KEFORMATIUN. 

he alludes to the whole subject, with the hope expressed, 
that I would make known the real stale of things in Europe 
to my own countrymen ; at the same time charging it upon 
me as a sacred duly, as an American, lo acquaint them with 
the fears which were entertained by the friends of republican 
liberty in regard to our country. If I have laboured with 
any success to arouse the attention of my countrymen to the 
dangers foreseen by Lafayette, 1 owe it in a great degree to 
having acted in conformity to his often repeated injunctions." 
That the Jesuits will attempt the ruin of our free institu- 
tions, I most firmly believe ; but I also believe that the effort 
will be a splendid failure, that will cover its authors with 
confusion, and pluck down ruin upon their own heads. In 
the annals of the Propaganda the proud boast is already re- 
corded. " In thirty years heresy will be destroyed in the 
United States." I hope this prediction may be verified ; if 
it is, thirty years hence there will be an end of popery I 
Ah ! my brethren, the Protestant church will never be sub- 
dued, much less destroyed by the papal power. The doom 
of Anti-christ, who has worn out the saints of the Most Hif^h, 
is sealed. Those who have fled from Sodom will never re- 
turn ! Who would, who dare look back that has once been 
warned of the judgments that are hanging over Babylon? 
The missionary angel is flying in the midst of heaven, hav- 
ing the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell in 
the earth, and to every kindred, and nation, and tongue, and 
people, saying with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give 
glory to him ; for the hour of his judgment is come : and 
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and 
the fountains of waters." Ere long, another angel will fol- 
low ; he will look dovv^n upon the broken battlements, and 
the ruined bulwarks of the Man of Sin, and heaven will 
echo with his voice, " Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great 
city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the 



THE REFORMATION. 247 

wrath of her fornication !" And then the third angel will 
cry, ere the vials of God's indignation are emptied, " If any 
man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark 
in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the 
wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mix- 
ture, into the cup of his indignation, and shall be tormented 
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, 
and in the presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their 
torment ascendeth up forever and ever ; and they have no 
rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, 
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Wo to 
them in Babylon who obey not the call of God, " Come 
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, 
and that ye receive not of her plagues, — for strong is the 
Lord who judgeth her !" 



LECTURE IX. 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 
Rev. xvii. 6. 

" AND I SAW THE WOMAN DRUNKEN WITH THE BLOOD OF THE 
SAINTS, AND WITH THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS : AND 
WHEN I SAW HER I WONDERED WITH GREAT ADMIRATION." 

The portion of the prophetic vision of the apostle John, 
which is recorded in this chapter, evidently alludes to the 
great Romish apostacy ; and before I proceed to show that 
persecution necessarily enters into the spirit, principles, and 
practices of that corrupt church, I will point out a fdw of the 
most striking allusions to the church of Rome, which are 
contained in this chapter. 

1. Babylon, which is represented as being the abode of 
the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and of the 
martyrs of Jesus, is the figurative name of Rome. Peter, at 
the conclusion of his first general epistle, says. The church 
which is at Babylon salutes you ; and Jerome tells us that 
Peter denotes Rome by the name of Babylon. Roman 
Catholic writers, moreover, insist upon this interpretation, 
because they are anxious to prove that Peter was bishop of 
Rome, many good writers having made it a subject of dis- 
pute whether this apostle ever saw that city. I think it can 
be proved that Peter was at Rome when he wrote his first 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 249 

epistle, and that he called it by the name of Babylon. But 
why call this city Babylon, or as John terms it, Babylon the 
great ? Because ancient Babylon was the most cruel enemy 
which the Jewish church ever had ; not only did the kings 
of Babylon lead the Jews captive, but they corrupted the 
Jewish religion by introducing their idolatrous practices, and 
thus brought down the heavy judgments of God. Hence 
the prophet Jeremiah says of Babylon, " It is the land of 
graven images, and the people are mad upon their idols." 
This wicked city is taken as the fittest emblem of the enor- 
mous power and wickedness of idolatrous Rome. Each in its 
turn was the mother of harlots and the abominations of the 
earth ; the one corrupting the Jewish, and the other the 
Christian church by her fornication and blasphemy. 

2. Besides, in v. 9, it is said, " Here is the mind which 
hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on 
which the woman sitteth." You will remember that Rome 
is built upon seven mountains. 

3. The woman " was arrayed in purple and scarlet 
colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones and 
pearls," indicating the immense, untold wealth of the papal 
power. If you go to Rome at this day, you see the eccle- 
siastical dignitaries literally arrayed in purple and scarlet. 
Witness the cardinals' scarlet hats and scarlet robes ; they 
are clothed in scarlet from head to foot ; the very mules and 
horses on which they rode were formerly covered with 
scarlet cloth ; as if they were determined to answer this 
description, and even literally to ride a scarlet coloured 
beast. Before the Reformation the canonical robe of every 
popish bishop was scarlet. 

4. Upon her forehead was a name written, " Mystery." 
This word, " Mystery ^^^ it is said, was literally written on the 
Pope's mitre, until Luther pointed out the evidence which this 
circumstance afforded of the Pope's affinity to antichrist. 



250 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 

Since then it has been changed ; but there still is *' mystery" 
enough ; transubstantiation,and the whole " mystery of iniqui- 
ty," is found in her. But the mark held out in the text, is 
the token by which all men may know who is this Babylon 
the great, this mother of harlots and of the abominations of 
the earth. " I saw the woman, drunken with the blood of 
the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." 
The blood of sixty millions of souls is surely enough to 
make even the Whore of Babylon drunk. This blood is 
upon her skirts, and cries aloud to the just God for ven- 
geance. Her robe may well be scarlet* Cruel, cruel Rome ! 
Her altars and her temples are reared upon islands of skulls, 
and bones, surrounded by seas of blood ! Blood is the wine 
she loves. She thirsts for blood. " She is drunken with the 
blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of 
Jesus." 

I am to prove to you, this evening, that persecution is a 
necessary element of the Popish system. I will make good 
the charge from her standard principles, and her undevi- 
ating practice. But, first, let us state what we mean by 
persecution. 

When a man, or a denomination of men, is deprived of 
any civil and religious rights, merely on account of his re- 
ligious faith, when that failh or creed contains in it nothing 
inconsistent with the political or religious interests of the 
community, or with the public peace; when force or legal 
penalties are employed against such persons, merely on ac- 
count of their religious opinions, then we say, that they are 
persecuted. 

Now, it is impossible that the church of Rome should 
sustain any other character than that of cruelty, so long as 
she maintains the principles of her authorized and standard 
books. 

1. Persecution is not only permitted by her principles, but 
it is expressly enjoined ; and not only enjoined, but enforced, 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. Qbl 

by the severest penalties, and rewarded by the greatest pri- 
vileges. 

In the fifth Council of Toledo, Can. 3, the holy fathers 
say: 

" We, the Holy Council, promulge this sentence, or de- 
cree, pleasing to God, that whosoever, hereafter, shall suc- 
ceed to the kingdom, shall not mount the throne till he has 
sworn, among other oaths, to permit no man to live in his 
kingdom, who is not a Catholic. And if, after he has taken 
the reins of government, he shall violate this promise, let 
him be anathema maranatha in the sight of the eternal God, 
and become fuel for the eternal fire." 

The Council of Lateran, under Innocent III., decreed as 
follows : (and be it remembered, that this decree is in full 
force now, and would be put into execution to-day, if the 
Pope had the power.) 

" We excommunicate, and anathematize all heresy, con- 
demning all heretics, by what name soever they are called. 
These, being condemned, must be left to the secular power 
to be punished. And those who are only suspected of he- 
resy, if they purge not themselves in the appointed way, are 
to be excommunicated ; and if, within a year, satisfaction is 
not given, they are to be condemned as heretics." 

Moreover, by a decree of this same council, the secular 
power, under Popish control, are required to take this oath : 

" That they will endeavour, with all their might, to ex- 
terminate, from every part of their dominions, all heretical 
subjects, universally, that are marked out to them by the 
church. But, if any temporal lord, being required and ad- 
monished by the church, shall neglect to purge his land from 
this heretical filthiness, he shall be tied up in the band of ex- 
communication by the metropolitan and his com-provincial 
bishops. And, if he shall neglect to make satisfaction, 
within a year, it shall be signified to the Pope, that he may, 



252 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OP POPERY. 

from that time, pronounce the subjects absolved from alle- 
giance to him, and expose his territories to be seized on by 
Catholics, who, expelling heretics, shall possess the country 
without contradiclion." 

This is surely a heavy penalty for not improving the op- 
portunity of persecuting heretics. But this is not the only 
incentive. Rewards are offered to the faithful, who do God 
service by exterminating the enemies of the holy church. 
In the same chapter from which the former extract was 
taken, we read the following : " But Catholics, who having 
taken the badge of the cross, shall set themselves to extir- 
pate heretics, shall enjoy the same indulgence, and be for- 
tified with the same privilege as is granted to those, who go 
to the recovery of the holy land." And in other decrees, 
it is provided not only that such meritorious Catholics be ex- 
empt from sundry penances, but a greater degree of everlast- 
ino- happiness is promised them than any others may expect. 

Now, I would ask, is there a religion under the wide 
canopy of heaven that contemplates a more complete de- 
struction of peace on earth, and good will to man, than 
Popery 1 Let it not be said that this decree of the Lateran 
Council is obsolete. It is no such thing. Every canon of. 
this Lateran Council was fully and explicitly established by 
that of Trent, and its decrees are now in full force at Rome. 
It is clearly, therefore, a principle of the Romish church 
that heretics are to be destroyed. And who are heretics? 
All, who neglect or disown the authority of holy church 
are heretics. All, who think differently from her, relative 
to the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, or of any 
other sacrament, or of any other article of faith — in short, 
all who believe not as the Church of Rome believes; all 
who disobey the Pope's statutes are heretics. Every Pro- 
testant denomination, therefore, of course is heretical, and 
in accordance with her own acknowledged principles, the 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 253 

Church of Rome must exterminate every Protestant in 
America, so soon as it can be done " without disturbance 
or hazard of the good," as the Rhemish Annotation tells us. 
My brethren, the spirit of popery, as breathed throughout 
her principles, is a cruel spirit. Her element is blood. The 
Popish faith inculcates cruelty as a virtue; its votaries are 
taught at times to disregard the tenderest ties, and the most 
sacred obligations. If the common emotions of humanity 
are not effectually suppressed by this religion in the bosoms 
of its advocates, no thanks to Popery ! Poj>ery teaches that 
it is right for the husband to betray the wife, the wife the 
husband, the daughter the mother, and the mother the 
daughter — when heretics are to be exterminated. Popery 
teaches that it is no more sin to murder a heretic than to 
kill a dog I Ay, it goes farther yet ; it teaches that it is me- 
ritorious to persecute Protestants to death. And what have 
these heretics done? They have presumed to think for 
themselves, and have refused to acknowledge the priests of 
Rome as Christ's vicars in the court of conscience; they 
have protested against the fooleries of transubstantiation 
and purgatory, and all other inventions of the Man of Sin — 
and they require every man, who offers them any doctrine 
as an article of failh, to come " to the law and to the testi- 
mony," and to compare his creed with the Bible, the only 
rule of faith which Christians ever Vv'ill acknowledge. Is 
this the great crime, which is to be visited with confiscation 
of estate, banishment, imprisonment and torture, as the 
only proper penalties 1 Is it thus that the Church of Rome 
understands the Bible precept, " In meekness instructing 
those that oppose themselves?" Tell me, why should here- 
tics be put to death ? Death cuts off all opportunity of be- 
coming acquainted with the truth, so as to profit by it, and 
to prepare for the judgment ? But if it is right that heretics 
should die, why must they die at the stake ? Why die ^q 
22 



254 Persecuting spirit of poPERf. 

bitter a death as burning 1 And if they must be burnedy 
why not let the flames do their work at once ? Why must 
a poor creature be roasted alive at a distant fire ? Or, if 
that must be, why the addition of so cruel a mockery, when 
the heretic is handed over in the tender mercy of the church 
to the secular arm, as to implore the magistrate " for the 
love of God, and in regard to piety and mercy, and of their 
mediation, to free this miserable person from all danger of 
death, or mutilation of members," when, after all this hypo- 
critical grimace, and this cant about piety and mercy, they 
would burn the magistrate, if he were to refuse to execute 
the heretic ? Why do the standard principles of Popery 
sanction this barbarity ? Why, but because cruelty is the 
genius of Popery ! But we may be told, " that these things 
are not so now ; Popery has changed ; Roman Catholics in 
the United States, and in the nineteenth century, would never 
be guilty of such atrocities." Many of them would not, I feel 
persuaded. Many of them, perhaps most of them, would 
shudder at the perpetration of such outrages. But what has 
this concession to do with the case 1 It is not their religion 
which makes American papists more liberal than their 
bigoted European brethren. Popery can claim no credit 
for this. Popery is not changed. The Church of Rome 
has never abjured her persecuting tenets. Let the Roman 
Catholic prelates in Europe and in this country, with the Pope 
at their head, come out and openly renounce the atrocious 
doctrines of the Lateran Council ; let them publicly, m the 
face of the worlds and without any mental reservations, sub- 
terfuge, or hypocrisy, declare that they abhor the persecut- 
ing spirit that is still breathed in the Papal bulls, and that 
they renounce all and every participation in their circula- 
tion : let them wash their hands clean of these bloody abo- 
minations, and A:eep them clean, and we will cheerfully and 
scrupulously avoid all allusion to the persecuting spirit of 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 255 

Poper3ii They will then have renounced the infallibility of 
the Romish Church, and their religion will no longer be 
Popery* But so long as they endorse these persecuting 
doctrines, canons, and decrees, they, and all who sympa- 
thise with them, must be regarded as the bitter enemies of 
the cause of truth and righteousness, and of our dearest 
liberties. Until this odious feature is expunged from the 
Romish system, wo shall be constrained to believe that the 
only reason why the true principles of Popery are not prac- 
tically and fully carried out amongst us, is just because 
there is such enthusiastic devotion to the cause of civil and 
religious liberty in America, that it would not be safe as yet 
for the Pope to unfurl the red flag of persecution. The 
bloody laws of the Popish church stand all of them unre- 
pealed ; they are in full force to this day. Every bishop, 
on taking the oath of fealty, swears that he receives those 
laws and canons, and will, to the utmost of his power, im» 
pugn and persecute heretics. The following is the form of 
a Jesuit's oath of secrecy, as it remains on record at Paris, 
among the Society of Jesus. 

" I, A. B., now in the presence of Almighty God, the 
blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed Michael the archangel, the 
blessed St. John Baptist, the holy apostles St. Peter and St. 
Paul, and the saints and sacred host of heaven, and to you 
my ghostly father, do declare from my heart, without men*- 
tal reservation, that his holiness Pope Urban is Christ's vicar 
general, and is the true and only head of the Catholic or 
universal church throughout the earth ; and that by the vir- 
tue of the keys of binding and loosing given to his honiness 
by my Saviour Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose here- 
tical kings, princes, states, commonwealths, and govern- 
ments, all being illegal, without his sacred confirmation, and 
that they may safely be destroyed ; therefore, to the utmost 
o^ my power I shall and will defend this doctrine, and bi^ 



256 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERV. 

holiness*s rights and customs against all usurpers oflhc liere- 
tical (or Protestant) authority whatsoever : especially against 
the now pretended authority and Church of England, and all 
adherents^ in regard that they and she be usurpal and here- 
tical, opposing the sacred mother Church of Rome. I do re- 
nounce and disown any allegiance as due to any heretical king, 
prince, or state, named Protestants, or obedience to any of 
their inferior magistrates or officers. I do further declare, 
that the doctrine of the Church of England, of the Calvinists, 
Huguenots, and of other of the name Protestants, do be 
damnable, and they themselves are damned, and to be 
damned, that will not forsake the same. I do further de- 
clare, that I will help, assist, and advise all, or any of his 
holiness's agents in any place, wherever I shall be, in Eng- 
land, Scotland, and Ireland, or in any other territory or 
kingdom I shall come to ; and do my utmost to extirpate 
the heretical Protestants' doctrine, and to destroy all their 
pretended powers, regal or otherwise. I do further promise 
and declare, that notwithstanding I am dispensed with to 
assume any religion heretical for the propagating of the 
mother church's interest, to keep secret and private all her 
agents' counsels from lime to lime, as they intrust me, and 
not to divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writing, or 
circumstances whatsoever : but to execute all that shall be 
proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto me, by you, 
my ghostly father, or by any of this sacred convent. All 
which I, A. B., do swear by the blessed Trinity, and blessed 
sacrament, which I now am to receive, to perform, and on 
my part to keep inviolably : and do call all the heavenly 
and glorious host of heaven to witness these my real inten- 
tions to keep this my oath. In testimony hereof, I take 
this most holy and blessed sacrament of the eucharist; and 
witness the same further wiih my hand and seal in the 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 357 

face of this holy convent, this day of An. 

Dom.,- &c."* 

Protestants in America, as well as in other places, in- 
deed all Protestants throughout the world, are formally 
cursed every year by the Pope at Rome, on the Thursday 
before Easter. The following is an extract from the fa- 
mous bull in Coena Domini: 

" We excommunicate and anathematise in the name of 
God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and by the 
authority of the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and by 
our own, all Hussites, Wiclifites, Lutherans, Zuinglians, 
Calvinists, Huguenots, Anabaptists, Trinitarians, and apos- 
tates from the Christian faith; and all other heretics, by 
whatsover name they are called, and of whatsoever sect they 
be; as also their adherents, receivers, favourers, and gene- 
rally any defenders of them; together with all who, without 
our authority, or that of the apostolic See, knowingly read, 
keep, print, or in any way, for any cause whatever, pub- 
licly or privately, on any pretext or colour, defend their 
books containing heresy, or treating of religion; as also 
schismatics, and those who withdraw themselves, or recede 
obstinately from the obedience of us, or the Bishop of Rome, 
for the time being.""|' 

This may suffice to prove that the principles of the 
Church of Rome require her to persecute, whenever she has 
the power. 

II. And now, what has been her practice ? Her practice 
has been in perfect keeping with her principles. In this 
respect, she has always proved herself consistent. In the 
palmy days of papal supremacy, the thunder of the PontifTs 
anathemas was always attended, or speedily followed by 

* M'Gavin's Protestant, vol. ii. p. 256. 

f Peter da MouUn's Papal Usurpation, folio, London, 1712, 
p. 134. 

22* 



258 PERSECtJTiNG SPIRIT OP POPERV. 

drencliing showers of blood. Take up the map of Europe : 
is there a country on that chart that has not been stained 
with the blood of the saints and of the martyrs of Jesus? 
Open the records of history : can you find an age since the 
Man of Sin set up himself above all that is called God, 
V. hich has not been signalised by some bloody tragedy, some 
wholesale massacre effected through popish agency? Ah! 
this Babylonish woman is drunk with blood. The beloved 
disciple might well wonder with great admiration. Her 
cruelty has indeed been wonderful ! Her ingenuity has been 
taxed to the utmost to devise new modes of torture; her 
fiendish malice has exulted in the invention of fresh imple- 
ments of torment and murder, with which she has worn out 
the saints of the most high God ! Look into the dens of the 
Inquisition, that holy and harmless institution, which the 
popish Bishop of Charleston, John England, who has been 
appointed by his holiness, Inquisitor General of the United 
Slates, has had the audacity to eulogise on American ground, 
and in the hearing of American freemen ! Look into the 
secret chambers o^ this infernal Inquisition. The heart 
sickens at the array of instruments of death. The deeds of 
darkness that have been practised there have been, in part, 
brought out to the light. Llorente's History of the Spanish In- 
quisition, compiled from the original documents of the ar- 
chives of the Supreme Council of this holy office, is before 
the public. When the Inquisition was thrown open in 1820, 
by order of the Cortes of Madrid, of the twenty-one prison- 
ers who were found in it, not one of whom knew the name 
of the city in which he was, some had been confined three 
years, some a longer period, and not one knew perfectly the 
nature of the crime of which he was accused. 

" One of these prisoners had been condemned, and was to 
have suffered on the following day. His punishment was to 
be death by the pendulum. The method of thus destroying 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OP POPERY. 25^ 

the victim is as follows : — The condemned is fastened in a 
groove, upon a table, on his back ; suspended above him is 
a pendulum, the edge of which is sharp, and it is so con- 
structed as to become longer with every movement. The 
wretch sees this implement of destruction swinging to and 
fro above him, and every moment the keen edge approach- 
ing nearer and nearer ; at length it cuts the skin of his nose, 
and gradually cuts on, until life is extinct. It may be 
doubted if the holy office in its mercy ever invented a more 
humane and rapid method of exterminating heresy, or in- 
suring confiscation. This, let it be remembered, was a pun- 
ishment of the Secret Tribunal, A. D. 1820."* 

From the records of this vile tribunal, it appears that 
31,912 persons perished in the flames, having been con- 
demned as heretics, between the years 1481 and 1781, ex- 
clusive of those who were put to death in other ways. How 
many have died in the dungeons of the holy office, God only 
knows. How many have perished under the tender mer- 
cies of the Inquisition at Goa, in India, he who counts the 
tears and numbers the groans of his saints alone can tell. 
How many have breathed their last upon the rack of the 
Inquisition at Macerata, in Italy, will be known, when the 
woman drunken with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus shall 
be brought forth to the judgment of the great day ! Ver- 
gerius computes, from authentic records, that the different 
offices of the Inquisition, in less than thirty years, destroyed 
upwards of 150,000 persons. A recent publication in Lon- 
don gives this summary. 

" Victims sacrificed under Torquenado, - 105,285 

Under Cisneros, ------ 51,167 

Under Diego Perez, 34,952 

* Llorente's History of the Inquisition of Spain, p. 20. Lon- 
don, 1827. 



260 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 

Families destroyed by the Inquisition, - - 500,000 
It has cost Spain, in all, two millions of lives !'•* 

*' I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints." 
The language of the text indicates that the Babylonish wo- 
man has quaffed large, and frequent, and pleasant draughts 
of blood. No one becomes drunk with that which is not 
pleasant to the taste. And what a palate must that be, to 
which blood is pleasant, but crvelty itself? A drunkard, 
when he is intoxicated, speaks folly, and acts extravagantly. 
No wonder, then, that this drunken woman insists upon 
doctrines and practices, which are alike contrary to reason 
and Scripture ; they are the ravings of intoxication. The 
stupid quarrels that have originated from disputes relative to 
ceremonies the most puerile, have deluged Europe with 
blood. For a long time the kings and lords had given in- 
vestiture to prelates by presenting them with a wand, or 
branch, in the manner practised for the investiture of counts 
and knights. " Disputes arose in connexion with this cere- 
mony, which cost sixty-three battles, and the lives of many 
millions of men. Fra Paolo says it cost eighty battles in 
Germany alone. This question excited great troubles, par- 
ticularly ill Germany and England. Henry IV. was ex- 
communicated by three successive Popes. The quarrel 
lasted fifty-six years, and through six ditTerent pontificates. 
The Dictionnaire des Sciences states that it occasioned sixty 
battles under Henry IV., and sixty-eight under Henry V., 
his successor, in which two millions of men were slain. "f 

The barbarous decree of the Council of Lateran, to which 
I called your attention some time ago, was put into execu- 
tion under the auspices of that very Pope, by whose influ- 
ence it was issued, and who bore the gentle name of Inno- 

* Brownlee's Topery an Enemy, 8cc., p. 106. 
t Church of Rome, p. 79. See also p. 145, 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 25| 

cent in. In the course of a few months, two hundred 
thousand Albigenses (the predecessors of the French Protest- 
ants,) were slaughtered by his minions. In the space of 
seven years, Pope Julius II. procured the death of two 
hundred thousand Christians. Perrin, the historian of the 
Waldenses, declares that not less than one million perished 
in the course of the dreadful persecution raised against them 
and the Albigenses. For four hundred and fifty years this 
remnant of the Lord's people was driven about in the wil- 
derness by the agents of persecution. They were forced to 
wander in scattered companies over the mountains and rocks 
around Piedmont. Yet, though this peeled and scattered 
people were thus beaten down and trodden under foot by 
the fury of Satan, the Lord would not suffer them to be 
utterly destroyed. Their sons and daughters fled every 
where, preaching the word, and the blood of their martyrs 
proved the seed of the church. One sliort extract from 
Perrin's Plistory may suffice as a specimen of the cruelties 
practised upon the poor Waldenses. 

"As to the Waldenses of the valley of Pragela, they 
were assaulted by their enemies on the side of Susa, a town 
in Piedmont, about the year 1400; and forasmuch as they 
had often attempted them in vain, it being at a season when 
they could make their retreat to the high mountains and 
caves thereof, where they might do much mischief and dam- 
age to those who should come there to attack them; the said 
enemies set upon them about Christmas, at a time when 
those poor people never dreamed that any would have dared 
to pass the mountains covered with snow. Seeing their 
caves possessed by their enemies, they betook themselves to 
one of the highest mountains of the Alps, afterwards called 
i'Albergano, that is, a mountain of retreat, flocking thither 
with their wives and children ; the mothers carrying the 
cradles and leading their little children by the hand that 



262 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OP POPERY. 

M-ere able to go. The enemy pursued them till niglit, and 
slew a great nunnber of them before they could reach the 
mountain. Those who were then put to death had the bet- 
ter bargain of it, for night having surprised that poor people, 
who were in the snow, destitute of any means of kindling a 
fire to warm their little children, the greatest part of them 
were benumbed with cold ; and in the morning they found 
fourscore little children dead in their cradles, (the greatest 
part of their mothers died soon after them,) and others just 
at the point of death. The enemies retiring in the night to 
the houses of the said poor people, they plundered and pil- 
laged all that they could convey away with them to Susa ; 
and to complete their cruelty, they hung upon a tree a cer- 
tain poor Waldensian woman whom they met upon the 
mountain of Meane, named Margaret Athode," &c.* 

The following extract from a letter written by the arch- 
bishops of Aix, Aries, and Narbonne, to the monks, who 
were the agents of the inquisition, is preserved by Perrin, 
p. 30. 

" It is come to our knowledge that you have apprehended 
so many of the Waldenses, that it is not only impossible to 
defray the charge of their subsistence, but also to provide 
stone and mortar to build prisons for them. We advise you 
to defer a little such imprisonments, until the Pope be ad- 
vertised of the great numbers that have been apprehended, 
and till he notify what he pleases to have done in the case. 
And there is no reason you should take offence hereat ; i'or 
as to those who are altogether impenitent and incorrigible, 
or concerning whom you doubt of their relapse or escape, 
or being at liberty, that they would infect others, you may 
condemn such without delay." 

*Perrin*s History of the Waldenses and Albigenses, folio, 
London, 1711, p. 33. 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 263 

Such was the barbarous persecution to which the Wal- 
denses were exposed for century after century. It may not 
be uninteresting or irrelevant to give the testimony of honest 
Roman Catholics to the integrity and the purity of the mo- 
rals of the Waldenses. 

"Louis XII. king of France, bavins: received information 
from the enemies of the Waldenses dwelling in Provence of 
several heinous crimes which they fathered upon them, sent 
to the place Mons. Adam Fumee, Master of requests, and 
a certain Sorbonist doctor, called Parui, who was his con- 
fessor, to make inquiry into the matter. They visited all 
their parishes and temples, and neither found there any im- 
ages, or sign of the ornaments belonging to the mass or 
ceremonies of the Romish church ; much less could they 
discover any of those crimes with which they were charged. 
But rather that they kept the Sabbath duly, caused their 
children to be baptized according to the primitive church, 
and taught them the articles of the Christian faith, and the 
commandments of God. The king having heard the report 
of the said commissioners said with an oath, that they were 
better men than himself or his people."* 

But of all the Romish writers who have treated of the 
Waldenses, there is none whose testimony is more import- 
ant than that of Reinerus Saccho. This man had belonged 
to their church, but having apostatized from his profession, 
he became one of the Pope's inquisitors, and not only bitterly 
persecuted the Waldenses, but wrote a book against them. 
In the course of his remarks he says, " Of all the sects that 
have risen up against the church of Rome, the Waldenses 
have been the most prejudicial and pernicious, inasmuch as 
their opposition has been of very long continuance. Add 
to which that this sect has become very general, for there is 
scarcely a country to be found in which this heresy is not 

* Perrin, p. 12. 



2(54 PERSECltTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 

planted. And in the third place, because while all other 
sects beget in people a dread and horror of them on account 
of their blasphemies against God; this, on the contrary, 
hath a great appearjance of godliness ; for they live righte- 
ously before men, believe rightly concerning God in every 
particular, holding all the articles contained in the (apostles') 
creed ; bul hating and reviling the church of Rome, and on 
this subject they are readily believed by the people."* 

From the first establishment of the order of the Jesuits to 
the year 1580, Baldwin reports that there were about nine 
hundred thousand of the orthodox Christians murdered, i. e. 
in the space of between thirty and forty years. In the short 
reign of Queen Mary, of England, Bishop Burnet tells us 
that two hundred and eighty-four were burnt, though he 
adds that Grindal, who lived during that period, records 
eight hundred as having been burned for heresy, besides 
sixty who died in prison. Bonner, the popish Bishop of 
London, occasionally diverted himself by burning the hands 
of poor heretic women, and disciplining others with whips 
and scourges.f He would have made a better hangman 
than a Christian bishop. 

You have heard of the famous Eve of St. Bartholomew, 
when one hundred thousand Protestants were murdered in 
the different districts of the French kingdom. The horrors 
of that fatal night cannot be imagined, much less portrayed. 
Whilst the poor Protestants, deluded by hollow promises, 
were asleep in their beds, dreaming of peace and quiet, all 
Paris was awakened by the clang of the tocsin of St. Ger- 
main, the preconcerted signal at which the troops were to 
be on the alert. The alarmed Huguenots start from their 
beds, and rushing into the street, inquire the cause of this 

* Perrin, p. 27; also Friedrich Hurler's Geschichte des Pab- 
stes Innocenz des dritten, vol. ii. 216. Ebingen, 1835. 
•}■ Fox's Acts and Monuments, p. 638. 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 265 

untimely sound, and on what errand this throng of arnned 
men is bent, whom they see moving by torchh'ght rapidly 
and tumu-Ituously through the streets. They are answered by 
blows, and wounds, and death. No rank, age, or sex was 
spared ; if the victim was a Protestant, it was crime enough 
to insure destruction. The carnage of this and the subse- 
quent day has left a blot upon the history of papal France, 
that never can be erased. 1 draw the curtain over the rest of 
that sad scene ; let it suffice that every atrocity perpetrated in 
that fearful night, and still more dreadful day, was in strict 
accordance with the present principles of the popish church. 
If the decrees of councils for destroying heretics be dictates 
of the Holy Ghost; if the largest share of heavenly happi- 
ness is justly the portion of those who execute such decrees; 
if killing Protestants be serving God, the more effectually 
that work is done the better. Upon these principles, I can- 
not see why, if it was doing God service then, it should not 
be lawful to keep up the remembrance of St. Bartholomew's 
eve by the massacre of all the Protestants within the reach 
of the papal authority on each succeeding anniversary of 
the Paris murder. In this way Calvin's seed might perhaps 
finally be purged from the earth, and there would be a per- 
petual jubilee at Rome. Fresh cause of rejoicing would 
be constantly afforded, and before the echo of one song of 
triumph had died away, a new shout of thanksgiving for 
the destruction of' another army of martyrs would greet the 
ears of the woman drunken with the blood of the saints! 
Let us not be told that this is an overwrought and over- 
coloured picture, drawn by the fancy of a prejudiced mind. 
No, my brethren, there is no need of imagination here; we 
are d( aling with stubborn facts in the history of an infallible 
church. She never can wash out the blood of the Hugue- 
nots from her skirls ; indeed her principles require that she 
should never cease to glory in it ; for when the news of the 
23 



256 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 

massacre at Paris was brought to Rome, the Holy See 
was thrown into an ecstasy of joy. Solemn days were 
set apart for thanksgiving, and a general jubilee was pro- 
claimed to all Christendom. The faithful everywhere were 
commanded to thank God for the slaughter of the enemies 
of the church ! 

The woman, drunken with the blood of the saints, went 
so far in her extravagant impudence as to lift up her hands, 
reeking with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, and in sanc- 
tuaries consecrated to the worship of the merciful God, who 
abhors cruel and blood-thirsty men, to boast of this butchery 
as a sacrifice offered to Him. Not content with this, the 
Pope sent cardinal Ursin, his legate, to France, to thank the 
king for so great a service done to the church ; and to desire 
him to go on, and extirpate heresy, root and branch, that it 
might never grow again. And, as the legate passed through 
France, on his way to Paris, he dispensed plenary absolution 
to all who had participated in the massacre.* 

My hearers, these are not " Protestant lies;" these are 
not " Maria Monk slanders." They are incontestible facts — 
facts written, not only on the page of impartial history, but 
graven with an iron pen upon the ever-during rock of truth. 
I might go on and enumerate instances of persecution, and 
detail scenes of blood-shed and cruelly until I should drop from 
sheer exhaustion, and then the story of popish cruelty would 
have been scarcely commenced ; but let these instances suf- 
fice as a specimen of the manner in which the persecuting 
principles of the Romish church are carried out in her prac- 



* If the reader wishes to have a succinct view of the suffer- 
ings of the devoted Huguenots, let him consult Smedley's His- 
tory of the Reformed Religion in France, 3 vols. Harpers. New 
York, 18345 and particularly chap. xxiv. and xxv. p. 202—250, 
vol. iii. 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OF POPERY. 267 

tice, " whenever it can be done without danger, and distur- 
bance of the whole church." 

But these charges may perhaps be answered by the ques- 
tion, " Have not Protestants persecuted too, when they have 
had the power r" In some instances they have put the bit- 
ter chaHce to the lips of those who first presented it to them ; 
but when they thus retaliated, no matter how strong the pro- 
vocation may have been, they did wrong. They acted un- 
justifiably ; they departed from Protestant principles ; they 
forgot the Bible precept : *' Love your enemies ; bless them 
that curse you ; do good to them that hate you, and pray 
for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." 
American, and European Protestants too, renounce and ut- 
terly repudiate every legal statute which their fathers ever 
borrowed from Rome, or ever advanced as a plea for perse- 
cution. Has the church of Rome done so ? Has she ever 
repealed one single bull, or decree of council, which called 
upon the faithful to do God service by the extermination of 
heretics ? She has not. She cannot, without letting go her 
silly claim to infallibility. 

My brethren, the church of Rome is still the same in this 
respect that she always has been ; and it is not easy to con- 
ceive how she should ever change. Cruelty and fraud are 
the marks which this drunken woman bears upon her brow, 
and by which she will always be known, until she shall be 
destroyed by the brightness of the Lord's coming. That 
there are many in her communion who are kind and amia- 
ble, and who would shrink from all participation in the cruel 
work which she would assign them, if she dared, I do most 
cordially believe ; and in all that I have said I have refer- 
ence, not to individuals, but to this system of Antichristian 
error, which is the direst enemy to the truth that God has upon 
earth. I aim not at exciting indignation against persons, but 
against principles. I would be as tender of the persons and 



258 PERSECUTING SPIRIT OP POPERY. 

the feelings of those who are unhappily deceived into the 
fooleries of popery, as the Bible would have me to be; but 
I cannot reconcile it to my sense of duty to God and my 
fellow-men, to refuse to cry aloud against the abominations 
of this mystery of iniquity. 

I have been rejoiced to find that Methodists, and Baptists, 
and Presbyterians, and Lutherans, and, I believe, all Pro- 
testant heretics in Philadelphia, can meet upon this common 
ground, and show that in so far as fundamental truths are 
concerned, we are one. But I must conclude. 

The guilt of so much blood is a heavy weight upon apos- 
tate Rome, that must sink her as a millstone into the sea. 
How this will be effected is not now the question. God has 
declared that it shall be so. The word of prophecy assures 
us of it ; and the signs of the times indicate the approach 
of her judgment. 

When God makes inquisition for blood, " in her will be 
found the blood of the saints, and of them that were slain 
upon the earth." The groans and tears of the victims of 
her cruelty are registered in heaven. The voice of the 
blood of saints and martyrs cries from the ground ; and the 
souls of those who were slain for the testimony of Jesus, 
call aloud from under the altar, " How long, O Lord, holy 
and true, ere thou avenge our blood r" The prayers of God's 
people come up in remembrance before him ; they will be 
answered. " He will Judge the great whore, that has cor- 
rupted the earth ; and will avenge the blood of his servants at 
her hands." " Vengeance is mine — I will repay, saith the 
Lord." We may safely leave the cause of truth in his 
hands. He will do right. Let us do our duty; and, "if 
our enemy hunger, let us feed him ; if he thirst, let us give 
him drink." Whilst we bless God as a congregation, and a 
church, for our deliverance fix)nQ popish bondage,, let us. not 



PERSECUTING SPIRIT OP POPERY. 269 

cease to pray for those who are still in bonds, as though we 
were bound with them. 

If we have, in truth, come out of Babylon, and partake 
not of her sins, we may already begin, at least, the prelude 
to the angelic song of triumph : " Rejoice over her, thou 
heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets ; for God hath 
avenged you on her 1" For, yet a little while, and the vi- 
sion will be fulfilled. " And a mighty angel took up a stone, 
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, 
Thus with violence shall that great city, Babylon, be thrown 
down, and shall be found no more at all." 



23^ 



LECTURE X. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 
Ps. Ixxxix. 15. 

" BLESSED IS THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW THE JOYFUL SOUND I THEY 
SHALL WALK, O LORD, IN THE LIGHT OF THY COUNTENANCE." 

In concluding the series of discourses which it has been 
my privilege to address to you, on the subject of Romanism, 
it has occurred to me, that the best method of illustrating 
the enmity of the Man of Sin to the revealed mind of God, 
will be to review the prominent features of the mystery of 
iniquity, and collate the authorized decrees and doctrines of 
Holy church with the plain precepts of God's holy word. 
This will at once furnish us with a striking contrnst between 
the gospel of Christ and the perversions of Antichrist. 

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound. 

I. What IS the Joyful sound? The psalmist is celebrat- 
ing the praises of Jehovah ; and he calls that people blessed 
who *' know the joyful sound," alluding to the sound of the 
trumpet by which the festivals of the Jewish church were 
proclaimed, and the people were assembled for worship. 
The evangelical trumpet has sounded through the gentile 
world, and ii?e have iieard the joyful sound. The Sun of 
Righteousness has risen, and we may walk in the light pf 
his countenance. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 271 

By tlie joyful sound, in this connection, I understand the 
gospel offers of salvation ; the whole plan of mercy, as 
adumbrated in the Old Testament, and fully revealed in the 
New. Blessed is the people that know this joyful sound. 
Papists do not know it ; for they embrace a system which 
wars against the glorious gospel of Christ. 

1. It is one of the leading doctrines of the New Testa- 
ment ^ that the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only 
POSSIBLE AND SATISFACTORY atonement for sin, whilst the 
church of Rome enjoins works of satisfaction. The 
death of the Saviour upon the cross was typified by all the 
sacrifices required by the Jewish law. They all pointed to 
the Lamb of Calvary, as their great Antitype. The united 
testimony of all the holy men, who spake as they were 
moved by the Holy Ghost, is summed up in this; " that we 
are redeemed, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, 
but with the precious blood of the Son of God, as of a Lamb 
without blemish and without spot." The song of the re- 
deemed in glory is, " Unto Him that loved us, and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings 
and priests to God, to him be glory and dominion for ever 
and ever. Amen." Thus the church on earth, and all in 
heaven, unite in ascribing salvation to the blood of the spot- 
less Lamb of God. This is our only hope; the only sacri- 
fice which can avail as an atonement for sin. But what says 
Antichrist? The church of Rome does not, it is true, for- 
mally and explicitly exclude the blood of the Saviour from the 
atonement, which she admits to be necessary; but she does, 
virtually, limit its efficacy ; she must add something to the 
merits of the propitiation which has been set forth by the 
Eternal Father, and ratified as in itself satisfactory. And 
when the glorious gospel of God assures all who hear its 
joyful sound, " the blood of Jesus Christ cleanselh from all 
sin," the church of Rome asserts that all who deny the ne- 



272 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

cessily or the propriety of her works of satisfaction — her 
penances and self-imposed austerities, are accursed. The 
Bible says, the blood of Jesus Christ is all-sufficient; the 
canons of the Council of Trent declare that it is not ; that 
it atones for the eternal, but not for the temporal penalty of 
sin ; that it can satisfy for the greater penalty, but not for 
the less. Now it is mockery to talk of " making satisfac- 
tion to God the Father, through Christ Jesus."* If the me- 
rits of Christ are in themselves sufficient, then there is 
no need of our making satisfaction ; and if they are not 
sufficient, how can we plead these merits as a reason why 
our works of satisfaction should be accepted ? 

The Bible says, " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse 
of the law, being made a curse for us."f The multitude 
before the throne cry out to the Lamb, " Thou hast redeem- 
ed us to God by thy blood.:}: The Council of Trent says, 
"Whosoever shall affirm, that the satisfactions by which 
penitents redeem themselves from sin, through Jesus Christ, 
are no part of the service of God, but, on the contrary, hu- 
man traditions, which obscure the doctrine of grace, and the 
true worship of God, and tlie benefits of the death of Christ, 
let him be accursed. "§ 

2. Again : The gospel assures us that Christ was once, 
and BUT ONCE, offered for the sijis of his people, and that 
this sacrifice never has been, and never can be repeated ; 

BUT THE CHURCH OF ROME PROFESSES TO REPEAT THAT 

SACRIFICE, DAILY, IN THE MASS. Says the apostlc Paul, 
*' Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many."|| And, 
again, " Sacrifice, and offering, and burnt-offerings, and of- 
fering for sin, thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure 
therein; (which are offered by the law;) then said he, Lo, 

* Sess. xiv. cap. ix. f Gal. iii. 13. + Rev. v. 9. 

§ Canon, xiv. Works of Satisfaction, B Heb. ix. 28. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 273 

I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first 
that he may establish the second. By the which will we are 
sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, 
ONCE FOR ALL. And cvcry priest standeth daily ministering, 
and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never 
take away sins : but this man, after he had offered one sa- 
crifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God ; 
from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot- 
stool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them 
that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a 
witness to us : for after that he had said before. This is the 
covenant that I will make with them afier those days, sailh 
the Lord : I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their 
minds will I write them ; and their sins and iniquities will I 
remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there 

is NO MORE OFFERING FOR SIN."* 

Nothing can be plainer than these Scriptures. If they 
mean any thing, they mean that there is no more ofl^ering 
for sin possible, since Jesus has by one offering perfected for 
ever them that are sanctified. Does the Church of Rome 
teach that there is no more offering for sin ? Early on 
each returning Lord's day, we hear the sound of the bell, 
inviting the faithful to the mass-house. *' What is the Ca- 
tholic doctrine as to the mass ? That in the mass there is 
offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice 
for the living and the dead, 

" What do you mean by the mass 1 

" The consecration and oblation of the body and blood 

of Christ, under the sacramental veils or appearances of 

bread and wine, so that the mass was instituted by Christ 

himself at his last supper. Christ himself said the first 

mass; and ordained that his apostles and their successors 

should do the like. Do this in remembrance of me,— • 

(Luke xxii.) 

* Heb, X. 8—18, 



274 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

" What do you mean by a propitiatory sacrifice? 

" A sacrifice for obtaining mercy, or by which God is 
moved to mercy. 

" How do you prove that the mass is such a sacrifice? 

"Because in the mass Christ himself, as we have seen. 
Chap. 4, is really present, and by virtue of the consecration 
is there exhibited and presented to the Eternal Father under 
the sacramental veils, which by their separate consecration 
represent his death. Now, what can more move God to 
mercy than the oblation of his only Son, there really pre- 
sent, and under this figure of death, representing to his Fa- 
ther that death which he suffered for us."* 

Need I employ much argument to prove that the Bible 
and the Pope do not agree here ? The one tells us that 
" there is no more offering for sin ;" the other impudently 
afl[irms that in the mass there is offered to God a true, proper, 
and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead. And 
what is the ceremony of the mass but mummery ? A priest, 
a popish priest, probably not the best of men, and if so, but 
a sinful man at best, pronounces certain Latin words over a 
piece of bread, and at once that bread becomes the body and 
blood, the soul and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ; it be- 
comes the real Saviour, the God- man, Christ Jesus ! ! The 
bread may be broken into any imaginable number of pieces, 
still every particle of the consecrated wafer is the entire 
Saviour ! ! This consecrated wafer is then held up before 
God's rational creatures as their Saviour ; they adore it 
most reverently, and after worshiping their breaden God, 
they eat the Saviour who died for them. I read of some who 
"crucify the Lord afresh, and put him to an open shame." 
Men and brethren, does not every popish priest openly avow 
that he crucifies the Lord afresh^ when he celebrates the 

♦ Ground's Cath. Doct, p. 5X. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 275 

mass? Does he not pvt the Saviour to an open shame? 
Is it possible that men can be found, willing to believe that 
the mass is a part of the Christian religion ? 

" Oli! judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts. 
And men have lost their reason." 

The papist professes to eat the real flesh of the Saviour* 
I do not believe that he does so ; if I did, I should recoil from 
my Roman Catholic brother as from a cannibal. But does not 
Jesus say, " Except that ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, 
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you"? He does, — 
and when the Jews, in their blind stupidity, understood him 
as speaking literally, he told them " It is the spirit that 
quickeneth — the flesh profiteth nothing ; the words that I 
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." But 
this is not all : the Roman Catholic professes to eat the soul 
of the Saviour ; and, to cap the climax of absurdity, he feasts 
upon the divinity of the Saviour too. Is not this putting the 
Lord Jesus to an open shame ? 

It is painful to expose such egregious folly. Surely 
there is not another system of error on God's earth that 
contains or enjoins blasphemy more atrocious and absurd 
than this I If we are told that the mass is an unbloody 
sacrifice, the objection destroys itself. It is offered as a 
" propitiatory sacrifice," but " without shedding of blood there 
is no remission of sins." Consequently, if the mass is an 
unbloody propitiatory sacrifice, it is good for nothing. Yet 
this unbloody sacrifice claims all the efficacy which belongs 
to the great propitiation on Calvary — it professes to be a re- 
petition of that sacrifice which the word of God declares can 
never be repeated. 

3. Again : Christ instituted the sacrament of the last sup- 
per in both kinds ; but the church of Rome celebrates it 
IN one kind only. Christ gave both the bread and the wine 



276 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

to his disciples ; but the priests withhold the cup from the laity, 
und drink all the wine themselves. It is true they tell us 
" that under either kind alone, Christ is received whole and 
entire ;" i. e., that the body and blood, soul and divinity of 
Christ are received when they partake either of the conse- 
crated bread or wine. There is a long chapter in the 
Grounds of Catholic Doctrine on the subject of communion 
in one kind, containing some most remarkable assertions, 
and singular apologies for this innovation. The chief rea- 
son which is assigned for giving the wine to the priests only, 
is that the command, " Drink ye all of it," was in the first 
instance addressed to the twelve apostles j and, therefore, 
that the bishops and priests, who claim to be their successors, 
are alone authorized to drink of that cup.* To this we an- 
swer, the disciples were not fully ordained as apostles until 
after the resurrection ; but even admitting that they were 
endowed with apostolic authority when the Saviour insti- 
tuted the Eucharist, if the laity are to be deprived of the cup 
because none but apostles were present, why should laymen 
and women be admitted to the sacrament at all? What 
warrant have we to give even the bread to any but the 
priests? There is as good reason for withholding the bread 
as for refusing the cup to the laity. 

In answer to the question, " How do you prove that those 
words, (Drink ye all of it,) are not to be understood as a 
command directed to all Christians?" I find the following 
reply :'\ " Because the Church of Christ, which is the best 
interpreter of his word, never understood them so." This 
is a bold assertion ; and, I am sorry to say, utterly destitute 
of truth. A mistake so glaring must "have resulted either 
from shameful ignorance, or else from an intention to de- 

* Grounds Cath. Doct. p. 46, 50. 
t Ibid. p. 47, 48. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 277 

ceive. Ignatius, writing to the Philadelphians, in the second 
century, uses this language : 

*' Wherefore let it be your endeavour to partake all of 
the same holy eucharist. For there is but one flesh of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; and one cup in the unity of his blood; 
one altar."* 

Ignatius here refers to the cup in such a manner as to 
imply that all Christians united in its participation. 

Cyprian, in his letter 65th to Caecilius, " concerning the 
mystery of the cup of the Lord," teaches the propriety of 
mixing wine and water in the cup, and says repeatedly, that 
by wine the blood of Christ is represented, and that the 
water is an emblem of the people ; that the mixing of wine 
and water in the cup is typical of the union between Christ 
and believers, &c., and so clearly adverts to the fact that 
the cup was given to the laity, that the German translators 
of Cyprian, whose work presents the Pope''s letter of ap- 
probation in FULL, are constrained to offer the following 
note. " From this is not to be inferred that Cyprian recom- 
mends communion in both kinds; for he speaks here only 
of this, that when the cup is offered or consecrated, and 
presented to the people, wine, and not water, is to be given. 
This only is apparent from this epistle, that the cup was at 
that time given to the laity,''^ vfecf 

That this concession is unavoidable, will be plain from 
the following passage in this epistle. "For in baptism the 
Holy Ghost is received, and therefore, they who have been 
baptized, and have received the Holy Ghost, may drink of 
the cup of the Lord." And again, commenting on the 
Saviour's words to the woman of Samaria, " Whosoever 
drinketh of this water shall thirst again ; but whosoever 
drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst ; 

* Apost. Fathers. Hartford, 1834. p. 146. 
f Page 305, vol. v. Kirchen Vaet. 
24 



278 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well 
of water springing up into everlasting life," Cyprian says, 
" By this water of life is likewise meant baptism, which 
may be only once received, and never repeated. But in 
the church of the Lord, we constantly thirst after the cup of 
the Lord, and drink it."* Now, I am far from endorsing the 
fanciful exegesis of Cyprian, but I adduce the passage in or- 
der to show from that father, that the Grounds of Cath. 
Doct. are a sandy foundation, and that the assertion that the 
church of Christ never understood the Saviour's command, 
" Drink ye all of it," as giving the laity a right to the cup, 
is an abominable untruth. "j" 

But why multiply quotations from the fathers to establish 
this point, when it is notorious, that for above a thousand 
years after Christ, the Church of Rome used both kinds in 
administering the sacrament? And why appeal to church 
history to prove that the denial of the wine to the laity is 
a popish innovation, or to establish the falsehood of the as- 
sertion that the church never understood the Saviour's words 
" Drink ye all of it," otherwise than as restricting the cup 
to the priests, when we have the language of Scripture 
so plain that he who runs may read. The apostle Paul, 
repeating the words of the institution, in 1 Cor. xi., men- 
tions both the bread and wine, and says, " As oft as ye eat 
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death 
till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread 
and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty 

* Cyprianl, Opera per Erasmum Roterod. p. So. Basil. 1530. 

I Those who wish farther testimony from the fatliers, are di- 
rected to the following" sources: — 

Theophylact in 1 Cor. xi. Chrysostom, Horn. 27, in 1 Cor. 
Ambrose, in 1 Cor. xi. Cyril Cathech. Myst. 5. Aug-ustine in 
Joh. Tract. 27. Clem. Alexand. 2. Paedag-. cap. 2, as quoted 
in "Rhemes against Rome," p. 172. London, 1626. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 279 

of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine 
himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that 
cup." Could language show more clearly what the prac- 
tice of the church was, in the days of Paul ? What did the 
apostle mean, when he said, " The cup of blessing which we 
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Ciirist? The 
bread which we bi-eak, is it not the communion of the body 
of Christ V Does this sound like Scripture authority for 
withholding the cup from the laity, and giving them half a 
sacrament, if, indeed, it can be called a sacrament at all? 

4. The opposition of the church of Rome to the Scriptural 
doctrine of justification by faith, has been shown at length 
in a former discourse. I need, therefore, do no more at 
present than advert to it. 2'he Bible teaches emphatically 
that we are justified by faith ^ and that good works, which 
always accompany true faith, cannot avail either in whole 
or in part to our justification. (Eph. ii. 8, 9.) " By grace 
are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is 
the gift of God ; not of works, lest any man should boast." 
(Rom. iv. 2.) " If Abraham were justified by works, he hath 
whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the 
Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him 
for righteousness." But what say the decrees of the Coun- 
cil of Trent; the gospel of Antichrist? The first and last 
clause of Can. 11, de Justific. are as follows : 

" Whosoever shall affirm that men are justified 
either solely by the imputation op the righteous- 
NESS OF Christ ; or also, that the grace by which 

WE ARE JUSTIFIED IS ONLY THE FAVOUR OF GoD ,* LET HIM 
BE ACCURSED." 

5. Again : Christ commands us to search the Scriptures ; 
but THE Church of Rome solemnly declares that the 

READING OP the BiBLE DOES MORE HARM THAN GOOD. 

Says the Saviour, " Search the Scriptures, for in them ye 



280 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify 
of me." In llie book of Acts we read of the Bereans, 
(Acts xvii. 11.) "These were more noble than those in 
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readi- 
ness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether 
those things were so." Paul writes to Timothy, (2 Tim. 
iii. 15 — 17,) " From a child thou hast known the Holy 
Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salva- 
tion, through failh which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is 
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished 
unto all good works." This is the testimony of the precious 
word of God ; this is the joyful sound of the gospel ; blessed 
is the people that know it. The bitter hostility of the church 
of Rome against the Bible and Bible societies, is too notori- 
ous to require much comment. Bulls, abounding in scurri- 
lous anathemas, have been issued against the depraved 
heretics who persist in circulating the Scriptures, and who 
think that people will not be rendered immoral if they are 
made acquainted with the revealed will of Almighty God. 
Decrees of Councils have been issued to the same effect. 

The Concilium Tolosanum, A. D. 1229, cap. 14, resolved : 
" We forbid also that the laity be permitted to have the 
books of the Old or New Testament; unless some one might 
peradventure wish, from a feeling of devotion, to have the 
psalter, or the breviary, or the hours of the blessed Mary. 
But we do most strictly forbid them to possess the foremen- 
tioned books translated in a vulgar tongue." 

The Cone. Biterrense, anno 1246, in its instructions to the 
inquisitors, cap. 36, speaks, * de libris theologicis non tenen- 
dis etiam a laicis in Latino, et neque ab ipsis, neque a cleri- 
cis in vulgari ;' i. e. "concerning theological books which are 
not to be kept by the laity even in Latin, and neither by them, 
nor by the priests in a vernacular tongue." 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 281 

The Cone. Terraconense, ann. 1234, c. 2, determined 
as follows : 

" We also decree that no one shall keep the books of the 
Old or New Testament in the Roman tongue; and should 
any one be in possession of such books, he must deliver 
them up to the bishop of the place to be burned within 
eight days after the publication of this article, and unless he 
do this, be he a priest or a layman, he shall be suspected of 
heresy until he shall have cleared himself."* 

Experience has proved that the Bible is true, for the read- 
ing of God's word has always been profitable to every hon- 
est and prayerful inquirer after truth ; " the man of God has 
always found it 'profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
rection, for instruction in righteousness." Like David, all 
who make the testimony of the Lord the man of their coun- 
sel, will find it " a lamp to their feet, and a light to their path." 
But the Pope, the poor blind Pope, and all who sympathise 
with him, who love darkness rather than light, cannot en- 
dure the Bible- Men and women have been burned for 
having portions of it in their possession, and for searching 
the Scriptures without permission from the holy priests. 
And so anxious is Holy Mother to prevent the Spirit of God 
from making heretics by enlightening their minds, and help- 
ing them to understand the Scriptures, that if she could, she 
would put every Bible in creation where neither Protestant 
nor Papist would ever get a glimpse of them. For proof of 
this, you must not look to this country, where Roman 
Catholics may laugh their priest's injunction to scorn, and 
do so with impunity if they choose ; but ask how it is among 
the priest-ridden people in Roman Catholic countries. Even 
here the priests do all they can to hinder the circulation of 

* Giessler*s Text Book of Ecclesiastical History, vol. 2, p. 392. 
Philadelphia : Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1836. 

24* 



282 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

the Scriptures, and keep up appearances at the same time- 
In tcstimonj' of this, hear the 4th Rule of the Council of 
Trent, under tlie index ofProliibited Books. 

"Inasmuch as it is manifest from experience that if the 
Holy Bible, translated into the vulgar tongue, be indiscrimi- 
nately allowed to every one, the temerity of men will cause 
more evil than good to arise from it ; it is, on this point, re- 
ferred to the judgment of the bishops or inquisitors, who 
may, by the advice of priest or confessor, permit the read- 
ing of the Bible translated into the vulgar tongue by Catholic 
authors, to thgse persons whose faith and piety they appre- 
hend will be augmented, and not injured by it ; and this per- 
mission they must have in writing. But if any one shall have 
the presumption to read or possess it without such written 
permission, he shall not receive absolution until he have first 
delivered up such Bible to the ordinary. Booksellers, how- 
ever, who shall sell, or otherwise dispose of Bibles in the 
\ulgar tongue to any person not having such permission, shall 
forfeit the value of the books, to be applied by the bishop to 
some pious use ; and be subjected by the bishop to such other 
penalties as the bishop shall judge proper according to the 
quality of the offence. But regulars shall neither read nor 
purchase such Bibles without a special license from their 
superiors." 

" Search the Scriptures," is the joyful sound of the gospel. 

-" If any man shall have the presumption to read or 
possess a Bible without a written permission, he shall not 
receive absolution until he have first delivered up the Bible 
to the priest.'''^ This is the gospel of Rome. 

That the priests do carry out these instructions, I have 
not the least doubt ; nor do I suppose they would wish to 
deny it. An instance of this inquisitorial tyranny occurred 
not long since, under my own immediate observation. I 
met with a poor grey-headed man, who professed to be a 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 



283 



member of a Roman Catholic cliurch in this city, and whose 
prejudices in favour of the peculiar tenets of liis relicrion 
were inveterate, but who seemed to be an honest, simple- 
hearted soul, not quite bigoted enough to believe that a 
wicked Roman Catholic was better than a pious Protestant; 
nor so stupid as to imagine that there is no salvation out of 
the popish church. In the course of conversation, I asked 
whether he had a Bible; he told me he had not. I then 
offered to furnish him wilii one, on condition that he would 
read a chapter every day, and look to God for the lifrht of 
his Spirit to enable him to understand it; reminding him of 
the direction given by the apostle James, " If any of you 
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, thatgiveth to all men libe- 
rally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." He 
accepted my offer thankfully; the Bible was sent to a 
friend's house, and the old man received it joyfully. For se- 
veral weeks I had no tidings of the Roman Catholic; but 
at last I met him at the place where I had first seen him ; 
and when I entered the room, he was speaking about the 
Bible which I had given him. " Well, what about the 
Bible ?" said I. "Oh, sir," he replied, " the priest would 
not let me keep it." " Why not?" " Because, he says, our 
religion is the oldest, and our Bible is the best, and I must 
not have a Protestant Bible; but," continued the old man, 
*' I pray for you before my candle every day !" I then 
asked him whether he thought it was right that his priest 
should forbid him to read God's word, and whether he really 
believed that the study of the Bible, which the priest himself 
-acknowledged to be a revelation from God, would be likely 
to do injury to the souls of men ? The poor man seemed a 
good deal perplexed, and could say nothing. I advised him 
to keep the Bible, and never mind the priest, and I hope 
he has taken my counsel. In justice to the ghostly father, 



284 CIIRI3T AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

I must say, however, that he directed the old man to return 
the Bible to the person from whom he received it. 

If his soul perishes for lack of knowledge, when God 
makes inquisition for that blood, I am witness that it is upon 
the skirts of the priest who forbade that grey-headed man to 
read God's word, and compelled him to put away the Bible, 
when tottering on the verge of eternity. 

6. Again : The Scriptures teach that all the public ser^ 
vices of the sanctuary should he in a tongue with which 
the worshipers are familiar ; but the greater part of 

THE RITUAL OF THE ChURCH OF RoME IS PERFORMED IN 
A LANGUAGE WHICH THE COMMON PEOPLE DO NOT UNDER- 
STAND. In justice to the advocates of this practice, we 
will let them speak for themselves. They give the follow- 
ing reasons for celebrating the mass in the Latin tongue. 

"Why does the church celebrate the mass in the Latin 
tongue, which the people, for the most part, do not under- 
stand ? 

" 1. Because it is the ancient language of the church used 
in the public liturgy in all ages in the western parts of the 
world. 2dly. For a greater uniformity in the public wor- 
ship ; that so a Christian, in whatsoever country he chances 
to be, may still find the liturgy performed in the same man- 
ner, and in the same language to which he is accustomed at 
home." 

Query. How is the faithful soul to know whether it is the 
same language or not, when he does not understand one 
word from another? Might not a holy priest perform the 
service in Greek without one Roman Catholic in twenty be- 
ing aware of it ? 

" 3dly. To avoid the changes which all vulgar languages 
are daily exposed to. 4thly. Because the mass being a 
sacrifice which the priest, as minister of Christ, is to offer, 
and the prayers of the mass being most suited to this end, 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 



285 



it is enough that they be in a language which he under- 
stands." 

If this be so, why not let the priest perform the mass soli- 
tary and alone? There would be nothing impolite in turn- 
ing his back upon an audience o^ empty pews. 

"Nor is this any way injurious to the people who are in- 
structed to accompany him in eve-i'y part of the sacrifice by 
prayers accommodated to their devotion, which they have 
in their ordinary prayer books."* 

Might it not be as well then after aU, to have the service 
in a tongue which would not require an interpreter? It 
would certainly look a little more like paying deference to 
Scripture. 

Paul, by direction of the Holy Spirit, writes thus to the 
Corinthians, in order to reprove those who spoke in un- 
known tongues in the assemblies of the church. "If the 
trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself 
to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue 
words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is 
spoken ? For ye shall speak into the air." But the Roman 
Catholic may reply, " only the prayers and the liturgy of 
our church, and some of the anthems are celebrated in Latin ; 
the rest of the service is in the vernacular lan^uao-e." Let 
Paul answer this objection. " If I pray in an unknown 
tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruit- 
ful.. I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the 
understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will 
sincr with the understanding; also. Else, when thou shalt 
bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room 
of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing 
he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily 
givest thanks well, but the other is not edified." This, by 

• Grounds Cath. Doct. p. 53. 



286 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

the way, is a great deal more than Paul would have been 
wiUlng to predicate of every Romish priest. Even if the 
matter of their prayers were in accordance with Scripture, 
there is many a one among them to whom he would have 
been loth to say, " Thou givest thanks well ;" for unless 
they are greatly slandered, there are not a few who are as 
ignorant of the meaning of their own Latin, as ihey are of 
Chinese. "I ihank my God," says the apostle, "I speak 
with tongues more than you all ; yet, in the church, I had 
rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my 
voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in 
an unknown tongue." This testimony we deem conclusive; 
it clearly condemns the Latin mummery of the Romish 
church. But the practice of the church in all ages must 
forsooth be received as paramount authority ! If the Bible 
sa^'s one thing, and Rome says another, the word of the 
Lord must give way to the authority of the Man of Sin 1 
As to the assertion, " that the Latin language was used in the 
public liturgy in all ages of the church in the western parts 
of the world," it was so, no doubt, wherever Latin was the 
vernacular tongue of the common people ; but where this 
was not the case, there is the amplest testimony to prove, 
that for about eight centuries, public service was performed 
in a lansuaije with which all were familiar. I misht cite 
direct testimony from the fathers to this point, for I have the 
references marked and at hand,* but time would fail me ; 
and besides, the Bible clearly condemns praying and sing- 
ing in an unknown tongue, let the fathers say what they 
will. " Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound." 
Let us thank God that we have liberty to pray to God, and 
to praise him in a language which we understand, and that 
the gospel trumpet to us gives no uncertain sound. 

* See Rhemes vs. Rome, p. 156. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 287 

7. The Bible vniformly enjoins upon Christians to hear 
tcith meekness the perverseness, and even the persecution of 
the ungodly ; but the church of Rome bueathes per- 
secution AXD destruction AGAINST ALL MHO DIFFER 
FROM HER, EITHER IN DOCTRINE OR IN PRACTICE. " The 

servant of the Lord must not strive ; but be gentle unto all 
men, apt to teach, -patient ; in meekness instructing those 
that oppose themselves; if God, peradventure, will give 
them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."* The 
Saviour says, " Love your enemies, bless them that curse 
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them 
which despitefully use you and persecute you." 

Now, supposing that Protestants are the miserable heretics, 
which the Pope and the Babylonish woman pretend, upon 
Bible principles, they ought to pity us, and to pray for us, 
and to do us all the good they can. Less than this, we may 
not do for papists; more than this Christianity does not re- 
quire them to do for us. If we deserve punishment, as he- 
retics, we shall receive it. " Vengeance is mine, I will re- 
pay, saith the Lord : therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed 
him ; if he thirst, give him drink \\ for thou shalt heap coals 
of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.":}: 

Does the church of Rome profess to leave vengeance to 
the Lord ? Not she. Her principles require her to extir- 
pate heresy by fire and sword. Does she feed her enemies 
when they hunger ; and when they thirst, does she give 
them drink ? She does indeed. She feeds them with the 
bread of tears ; she gives them water of gall to drink. Qh! 
she has heaped coals of fire upon their heads, and the Lord 
will reward her ! The history of the tender mercies of Rome 
is written in the^ blood of slaughtered millions. She is the 
nurse of sanguinary fanaticism. Her doctrine begets per- 

* 2 Tim. ii. 25. f Rom. xii. 19, 20. + Prov. xxv. 22. 



288 CHRIST AND ANTICFIRIST CONTRASTED. 

sscution ; her polity demands it ; and her priests are trained 
to all the service she requires. The story of papal tyranny 
transcends in. the abundance and atrocity of execrable acts 
all other annals of oppression. Cruelty and treachery in 
the treatment of God's saints, are the jewels which adorn 
her brow ; and the flames and smoke of the blazing pyres, 
upon which her victims have been immolated ; the groans 
and shrieks and prayers of the martyrs of Jesus, have come 
up for a memorial before God. Verily Babylon will come 
in remembrance before Him. The Lord has preserved the 
tears of his saints in his bottle; and when the vials of his 
wrath are emptied, those scalding tears will " burn the flesh 
of the great whore." The noble army of martyrs, who 
stand around the Saviour's throne, with robes of white, and 
palms of victory, will be there to testify, how Rome has 
loved her enemies. 

My brethren, the joyful sound of the gospel proclaims 
peace on earth, and good will to men ; but the doctrines of 
the Vatican declare war against every people on God's earth, 
who will not bow to her dominion. It is not merely by the 
sword and the gibbet, the rack and the stake, that she illus- 
trates her faith in the gospel of peace. She has other wea- 
pons also at command. It is true, violence is her delight ; 
and she tells us, " when evil men, be they heretics or other 
malefactors, may be punished or suppressed without disturb- 
ance and hazard of the good, they may and ought, by pub- 
lic authority, either spiritual or temporal, to be chastised or 
executed." So far from attempting to conceal her determi- 
nation to exterminate her enemies, she openly avows it. 
The Rhemish annotation on the text of my last discourse 
is as follows : 

" V. 6. Drunken of the blood. It is plain, that this wo- 
man signifieth the whole corps of all the persecutors that 
have and shall shed so much blood of the just : of the pro- 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 289 

phets, apostles, and other martyrs, from the beginning of 
the world to the end. The Protestants foolishly expound it 
of Rome, for that there they put heretics to death, and al- 
low of their punishment in other countries ; but their blood 
is not called the blood of saints, no more than the blood of 
thieves, man-killers, and other malefactors ; for the shedding 
of which, by order of justice, no commonwealth shall an- 
swer."* 

But it is not always expedient thus to chastise and execute, 
and she therefore must find some other vent for her mali- 
cious rage against those who abhor her abominations. If 
she cannot kill them, she will curse them. If she cannot 
heap up fagots around them, she will cover them from head 
to foot with her anathemas. It is true, her imprecations 
are very harmless things, in so far as we are concerned; 
but they illustrate her Antichristian spirit. She arrogates to 
herself power to puni.sb all baptized persons whom she de- 
nounces as heretics and schismatics. The following is her 
own theory on this subject. 

" There are but three classes excluded from her ; first, 
infidels ; next, heretics," (i. e. Protestants,) " and schisma- 
tics," (the Greek and Oriental churches ;) " lastly, excom- 
municated persons. Heretics and schismatics because they 
have departed from the church;" (i.e. the Romish church, 
not the church of Christ;) "for they do not belong to the 
church any more than deserters belong to an army from 
which they have deserted. It is not, however, to be denied , 
that they are still in the power of the church, as those 
may he summoned to trial, condemned, and punished 
with an anathema.''^^ 

* Rhem. Test. 431. Annot. on Rev. xvii. 6. 
f See Catech. ex decreto Cone. Trid. &c. p. 60, Romsc, 1566, 
folio, quoted in Home's Protestant Memorial, p. 92. 
25 



290 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED, 

Such are the impudent claims arrogated by the church 
of Rome to this day, in her own accredited formularies. 
Den's Theology contains the following developement of the 
views of the catechism. 
"Are HERETICS justly pimished with death?" 
St. Thomas answers, 2. 2. quest. 11, art. 3, in "Corp." 
" Yes : because forgers of money, or other disturbers of 
the state are justly 'punished with death. Therefore 

ALSO HERETICS, WHO ARE FORGERS OF THE FAITH, AND, AS 
EXPERIENCE TESTIFIES, GRIEVOUSLY DISTURB THE STATE."* 

Let the reader compare this language with the following 
extract from an impudent popish effusion which was tole- 
rated in the columns of the Christian Observer of Aufr^ 26, 
1840, in reply to a communication from a worthy Protest- 
ant minister. 

*' Now I beg all attention to another glaring piece of im- 
posture perpetrated by Mr. ; one which deserves 

something more of chastisement than the mere exhibition of 
its extravagant impudence upon your columns. The man 
who forges a dollar note is severely punished ; what must 
we think of the man who forges in matters appertaining to 
the dearest spiritual interests?" 

Really ! ought the Rev. Mr. then to be pun- 
ished WITH DEATH ? 

The decrees of the Romish councils, and the statements 
of her peculiar tenets are separately and singly supported 
by a fearful array of curses, imprecated upon the stubborn 
souls of all who question her authority. 

Thus, after the statement of the Romish doctrine of the 
merit of good works, we find thirty-three solemn curses de- 
nounced upon the heretics, who deny that we can be justi- 
fied, either in part or in whole, even by belter works than 

* Den's Theol. Mor. torn. ii. p. 289. Prot. Mem. 94. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. *29l 

the best of papists ever did. The mysteries of popish bap- 
tism are defended by fourteen very heavy anathemas. The 
doctrine of transubstantiation, and of the Eucharist in gene- 
ral, is satisfactorily proved by eleven very eloquent male- 
dictions, &c. &c. 

But one of the choicest specimens of the manner in which 
the Pope blesses his enemies is offered in a bull issued by 
his Holiness against an unhappy alum-maker, who had 
charge of certain works belonging to the Pope; but who 
abandoned the service of his Holiness, and introduced the 
secrets of his trade into England. It runs thus: 

*' By the authority of God A Imighty, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, and of the holy Canons, and of the Immaculate Vir- 
gin Mary, the Mother and Patroness of our Saviour; and 
all the celestial virtues, angels, archangels, thrones, domin- 
ions, powers, cherubims, and seraphims ; and of all the holy 
patriarchs and prophets ; and of all the apostles and evan- 
gelists ; and of all the holy innocents, who, in the sight of 
the Lamb, are found worthy to sing the new song ; of the 
holy martyrs and holy confessors; and of the holy virgins, 
and of all the saints, and together with all the holy and elect 
of God, we excommunicate and anathematize this thief or 
this malefactor N : And from the thresholds of the holy 
Church of God Almighty, we sequester him, that he may be 
tormented, disposed, and delivered over with Dathan and 
Abiram, and with those who say unto the Lord God, De- 
part from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. 
And as fire is quenched with water, so let the light of him 
be put for evermore, unless it shall repent him, and he make 
satisfaction. Amen. 

" May God the Father, who created man, curse him. May 
the Son, who suffered for us, curse him. May the Holy 
Ghost, who was given for us in baptism, curse him. May 
the Holy Cross, which Christ, for our salvation, triumphing 



292 CHinsT AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

ascended, curse him. May the holy and Eternal Virgin 
Mary, curse him. May Michael, the advocate of holy soul3» 
curse him. May John, the chief forerunner and baptist of 
Christ, curse him. May the holy and wonderful company 
of Martyrs, curse him. May Peter, Paul, Andrew, and all 
other Christ's Apostles, together with the rest of his disciples, 
and four evangelists, curse him. May the holy choir of the 
holy Virgins, who, for the honour of Christ, have despised 
the things of the world, curse him. May all the Saints, 
who from the beginning of the world, to everlasting ages, 
are found to be the beloved of God, curse him. May the 
heaven and earth, and all the holy things therein remaining, 
curse him. May he be cursed wherever he be, whether in 
the house or in the field, or in the high way, or in the path, 
or in the wood, or in the water, or in the church. May he 
be cursed in living, in dying, in eating, in drinking, in being 
hungry, in being thirsty, in fasting, in sleeping, in slumber- 
ing, in lying, in working, in resting, and in blood- 
letting. May he be cursed in all the powers of his body. 
May he be cursed within and without. May he be cursed 
in the hair of his head. May he be cursed in his brain. 
May he be cursed in the crown of his l>ead ; in his temples ; 
in his forehead ; in his ears ; in his eye-brows ; in his cheeks ; 
in his jaw-bones ; in his nostrils ; in his fore-teeth and grind- 
ers ; in his lips ; in his throat ; in his shoulders ; in his wrists ; 
in his arms ; in his hands ; in his fingers ; in his breast ; in 
his heart; and in all the interior parts to the very stomach; 
in his veins ; in his reins ; in his groins ; in his thighs ; 

; in his hips ; in his knees ; in his legs ; in his feet ; 

in his joints ; and in his nails. May he be cursed in the 
whole structure of his members. From the crown of his 
head to the sole of the foot. May there be no soundness in 
him. May the Son of the living God, with all the glory of 
his majesty, curse him ; and may heaven and all the powers 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 293 

that move therein rise against hinn, to damn him ; unless he 
shall repent and make full satisfaction. Amen, amen, — 
so be it." 

A beautiful comment, ihis, upon the apostolic rule, " Bless 

AND CURSE NOT." 

8. Finally, for I must hasten to a close. The gospel as- 
sures us that the righteous, immediatehj upon their deaths 
are I'eceived into heaven, to dicell with God and the Lamb 
in glory, for ever. Not so the churcu of Ro3ie. There 
is no such joyful sound as this in the messages which her 
priests are commanded to bear to her children. The voice 
from heaven whispers sweetly to the dying Christian, " Bless- 
ed are the dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth ; yea, 
sailh the Spirit, for they rest from their labours, and their 
works do follow them." And the child of God, when he 
hears this joyful sound, is blessed. Oh ! how blessed ! He 
is on the verge of heaven. Angels are near his dying pil- 
low. Jesus is with him in the hour of darkness; his rod 
and his staff comfort the poor pilgrim as he treads the val- 
ley of the shadow of death. Peace fills his soul ; the peace 
of God, which passeth all understanding! He is happy. 
He holds on his way rejoicing! The light of heaven beams 
brigliter upon his soul, the nearer he draws to Immanuel's 
land. His bursting heart swells with joy; his eyes are 
glazed in the fixedness of approaching death ; but, oh ! the 
sights they see ! His spirit struggles to be gone, until his 
heart-strings break and his soul is at liberty ! He is in hea- 
ven ! He is with Christ ! He is clasped to the bosom of his 
Saviour! 

But oh ! the poor papist ! Does he anticipate thus joy- 
fully the day of his death? See him there — the hour of his 
departure is come.* He is encouraged to hope that his mor- 

* Extreme Unction, one of the seven llomisli sacraments, is 
usually administered at such a time. The Apostle James, writ- 

25* 



294 CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 

tal sins are all washed away in the Saviour's blood ; but 
alas ! alas ! his venial sins stare him in the face ; the blood 
of Jesus has not atoned for tlicm, and they must be purged 
with fire before he can enter heaven ! What comfort can 
the ghostly father administer to the trembling sinner ? Can 
he say "peace, be still ?" He does presume to say, " Son, 
be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee,'' But what of 
that 1 His venial sins, for which no penance has been paid — 
Ah ! these rise up ; they do not assure him of Paradise ; 
his guilty conscience cries out, " Verily this day shalt thou 
be in purgatory I" No wonder that he shrinks from the 
touch of death ; no wonder that his soul is tossed with tem- 
pests, and not comforted! He does not know the joyful 
sound. He has been taught that salvation is to be purchased, 
in some measure at least, with silver and gold. He expects 
to be redeemed in part with corruptible things ; he hopes to 
be saved by fire 1 No wonder, then, that dismay and hor- 
ror overwhelm his soul ! He has never understood the in- 
vitation, " Ho ! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat ; 
yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without 
price."* 

Had he known this joyful sound, he never would have 
weighed his salvation against penance, and alms, and masses; 

ing" to the churches, directs the elders, when called In to visit the 
sick, to anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord ; and says, 
*' The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise 
him up." The g-ift of healing" diseases was one of the miraculous 
endowments conferred upon the primitive church, and the 
anointing with oil was a mere sign to connect the sick man's re- 
storation to health with the prayer of faith; but the priests do 
not anoint to heal the sick, but to assure them that they are about 
to die. 

* Isaiah Iv. 1. 



CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST CONTRASTED. 295 

never would he have insulted his Saviour by offering such 
trash for the redemption of his soul. 

" Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the 
end of that man is peace." 

When was it ever known that a papist departed this life 
in the full assurance of faith, triumphing in the confident 
anticipation of the fulness of joy at God's right hand ? How 
can he triumph ? At best he expects to drop into purgatory, 
so soon as the last cord that binds him to earth is severed ! 
He dies in the fearful anticipation of horrors and torment 
scarcely inferior to the pains of hell ! How can he rejoice 1 
He fancies that he already hears the weeping, and wailing, 
and the gnashing of teeth of those, who welter in a sea of fire ! 
Alas I my brethren, why will you pervert the gospel ? Why 
will ;you doubt the precious truth that Jesus Christ has de- 
livered from condemnation all who love him, and trust in 
him ? How can you be deaf to the voice from heaven, 
which speaks in tones of tenderness and triumph to you, 
" Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth?" 
What ! from henceforth ? " Yea saith the Spirit, that they 
may rest from their labours /" '' They shall hunger no 
more, neither thirst any more; neither shall iho sun light 
on them, nor any heat ; for the Lamb, which is in the midst 
of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto liv- 
ing foi:intains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes !" 

This, my brethren, is the sure portion of the righteous : 
God grant that it may be yours. 

I set before you this day a blessing and a curse. My 
heart's desire and prayer to God for you all is, that you may 
be saved. God give you grace to turn with loathing from 
the abominations of Antichrist, and to embrace the glorious 
gospel of Jesus. 

Mv Protestant Brethren, let me say to you in conclusion, 



296 



CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



in the language of the Book wo love, " Stand fast, therefore, 
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be 
not AGAIN entangled with the yoke of bondage.* Flee from 
IDOLATRY. f Let the WORD OF Christ (not human tradi- 
tions) dwell in you richly in all wisdom ;J for other founda- 
tion can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ, 
(not Peter.)^ We have renounced the hidden things of 
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word 
of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, com- 
mending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of 
God. II If any man leach otherwise, and consent not to 
wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and to the doctrine, which is according to godliness, from 
SUCH withdraw thyself.^ Wherefore, come out from 
among them, and be ye separate, sailh the Lord, and touch 

NOT THE UNCLEAN THIIS^G.** 

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your 
spirit. Amen. 



CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

It must be apparent to every intelligent and honest mind, 
that has investigated the subject, that the tenets of Romanism 
cannot be sustained by a direct appeal to the letter and spi- 
rit of the Scriptures. Protestants have hitherto, in too many 
instances, been actuated by a spirit of false liberality, which 
has led them to speak and to act as though the Romish 
church were a part of the church of Christ. I verily believe 
that the papal schism is as distinct from the true and holy 
Catholic church, as Christ is from Belial. What fellowship 

* Gal. V. 1. II 2 Cor. iv. 2. 

t 1 Cor. X. 14. 1 1 Tim. vi. 3—5, 

^ Col. iii. 16. ** 2 Cor. vi. 17. 
§ 1 Cor. iii. 11. 



CONCLUmNG REMARKS. 297 

have Christ and Antichrist? And who that has ever exam- 
ined the prophecies relative to the Antichristian power, that 
is to afflict the church in the latter days, can rise up from 
their study, and refuse to acknowledge that the papal sys- 
tem is a part of that Antichristian power? Every predic- 
tion relative to the Man of Sin finds a full and literal ac- 
complishment in the Romish apostacy. 

Is it said that the Man of Sin shall exalt himself above 
all that is called God? Does not the Romish church an- 
nul the commandments of Almighty God, and teach that it 
is lawful to bow down to graven images? And that these 
likenesses of the Deity, " may be had and retained," though 
the Lord God solemnly forbids them to be used as appen- 
dages to his worship ? 

And does not the Council of Trent, whose decisions are 
regarded as the standard of Popish orthodoxy, formally de- 
cree,* " The faithful must give to the holy sacrament of 
the altar that divine adoration that is due to god 
only ; and it must be no reason to prevent this, thx\t 
Christ our lord gave it to be eaten ?" 

Is it said that the Man of Sin shall " sit in the temple of 
God, showing himself that he is God ?" Is not the Pope con- 
stantly addressed as " Dominus Deus noster Papa ;" " Our 
Lord God the Pope?" Thus far has Antichrist proceeded 
in impudent blasphemy, and thus literally is the prophecy 
fulfilled ! 

Is it foretold that in the latter times some shall give heed 
to doctrines of devils, or "daemon-gods;" the spirits of de- 
parted saints? Witness the honours which Rome commands 
the faithful to pay to her saints, of whom many never ex- 
isted at all, whilst others were notorious for cruelty and all 
manner of wickedness. 

Is it said that they shall *' speak lies in hypocrisy ?" Wit. 

* Sess. 13, c. 5, 



298 CONCLUDING HEMARKS. 

ness the wheedling sycophancy of the Jesuits, as portrayed 
in their " Secreta Monita," " Secret Instructions."* Hear 
the morals inculcated by Alphonsus de Ligorio, whom his 
holiness canonized, A. D. 1816. " A confessor may affirm, 
even with an oath, he knows nothing about a sin which he 
has heard in confession, meaning thereby that he docs not 
know it as a man, but not that he does not know it as the 
minister of Christ." " A culprit, or a witness, who is inter- 
rogated by a judge unlawfully, can swear that he is igno- 
rant of a crime, which, in truth, he knows."f 

Must not they who are trained in such a school of mo- 
rality, " have their conscience seared with a hot iron ?" 

Is it said that in the great apostacy of the latter times, 
there shall be some " forbidding to marry ?" Witness the 
fulfilment of this prediction in the celibacy of monks and 
nuns, which has originated licentiousness, such as would 
pale tho cheek, and chill the soul to name.J 

Does the sure word of prophecy reveal that men shall be 
*' commanded to abstain from meats?" Is not this one of 
the peculiarities of the Romish church? What consistent 
Romanist would dare to eat meat on Friday, or during Lent? 

Is it said that " his coming is after the working of Satan, 
with all power and signs, and lying wonders?" Do not the 
legends of the Romish church swarm with lying wonders? 
Her books of devotion are full of them. Here is a specimen, 
which is only one of a thousand that might be taken from the 
same source. I quote from an old Breviary which is before 
me. It tells that " Mary Magdalen, for thirty years after the 

* See Secreta Monita Societatis Jesu. Secret Instructions of 
the Jesuits, printed verbatim from the London copy of 1725. 
Princeton, 1831. 

t Ijgori's Moral Theology, p. 160. New York, 1836. 

t The reader who wishes a detailed account of the various orders 
of monks and nuns, may consult Biedenfeld's Moenchs undKlos- 
terfrauen Orden im Orient und Occident, 2 vols. Weimar, 1837. 



N 



CONCLUDING REMARKS, OQQ 

death of the Saviour, dwell in a cavern of a high nnountain, 
secluded fronn all intercourse with the world, and that every 
day she was carried up hy angels to heaven, that she might 
listen to the anthems of the redeemed !"* 

Take up the prophecies, referring to the Man of Sm, as 
you find them in the word of God, and who that compares 
them with the papal system, can doubt that they point to 
the Romish church, and to no other? This alone should be 
enough to deter any friend of Jesus from being found in the 
fellowship or communion of the Romish church. I will not 
say that all who are in connexion with her must perish, but 
this I do believe, that few, comparatively very few of her 
communion inherit the kingdom of God. How can it be . 
otherwise? She puts her ban upon the Bible ; she inserts 
the Holy Scriptures upon her list of forbidden books; and 
thus with one fell stroke she cuts off God's choicest means 
of sanctifying the soul and preparing it for glory. The 
Saviour prayed for his disciples to the end of time, "sanc- 
tify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." God never 
sanctifies a conscious soul without ihe agency of truth. 
Oh I what wickedness to seal up this sweet fountain, and 
forbid the perishing to come and take freely of the living 
waters; when the Spirit and the Bride, and every voice in 
heaven, and all the Saviour's followers on earth invite the 
thirsty to the well-springs of salvation ! 

If there were no other reason for hating this " mystery 
of iniquity," we should abhor it because popery is the sworn 
foe of the Bible. I do not say that we ought to hate papists, 
God forbid ! We must do them all the good we can, whilst 
we detest the abominations of their false religion. 

Rome is the Amaiek with whom God will never make 
peace. The popish apostacy is not to be reformed ; for the 
Lord has said it shall be destroyed by the breath of his 

• Breviarium Monasticum Pauli 5, Pont. Max. auctor. recogriit. 
Parisiis, 1671. 



300 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

mouth, and by the brightness of his coming. Just in pro- 
portion as the light of the gospel is diffused, the strong holds 
of popery are undermined. It cannot endure the light; it 
will not come to the light lest its deeds of darkness be re- 
proved ; but the Lord is pouring light upon this guilty world 
from all the windows of heaven, and the days of Antichrist 
are numbered I No longer shall he deceive the nations, for 
the gospel witnesses are in every land, and the angel is even 
now flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlast- 
ing gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth ; the 
Gentiles are pressing into the kingdom of God, and the pro- 
phetic vision declares that soon the second angel will follow, 
saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because 
she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her 
fornication i" As sure as Christ sits at the right hand of 
the Father, popery shall be destroyed. It is the abominable 
thine which he hates. It is a false, a bloody, and a 
blasphemous religion ! 

The woman clothed in scarlet is "full of the names of 
blasphemy." Popery is a mere rhapsody of blasphemies. 
Its head is a head of blasphemy, " Our Lord God the 
Pope !" 

Who i^ there that loves the Saviour, and knows the true 
character of the Man of Sin, who does not long for the day 
when his captives will be set free, and when the prisoners 
who are chained in Babylon, shall come forth into the liberty 
of God's children ! Let us pray that the Lord would come 
to redeem his people, and that the sighing of the prisoners 
may be heard by their Saviour. Let us pray that the cap- 
tives may hear the sound of salvation, and that all God's 
people in Babylon may "come out of her that they be not 
partakers of her sins, and that they receive not of her 



plagues." Amen. 

FINIS 



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